SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt — President Donald Trump kicked off a global summit in Egypt on Gaza’s future, aimed at ensuring the U.S.-led truce in the Middle East turns into a lasting peace.

The stop was Trump’s second during his whirlwind trip to the region, following a visit to Israel to celebrate the ceasefire with Hamas and welcome back freed hostages that were held by the group, designated a terrorist organization by the United States and European Union.

“This was the granddaddy of them all. And frankly, I thought this was probably going to be the toughest, and maybe in many ways, it was,” Trump said during a signing ceremony in the Red Sea resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh.

Almost three dozen world leaders from Europe and the Middle East attended the summit, including Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani, Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declined to attend, citing an upcoming Jewish holiday.

Trump earlier Monday addressed the Israeli parliament and was lauded for last week’s agreement that led to a truce in Gaza and the release of the 20 remaining living hostages held in the Palestinian territory. They were freed Monday, as were almost 2,000 Palestinians in Israeli jails.

While questions loomed over the fragile agreement, Trump sought to frame it as a historic achievement and urged world leaders to help ensure no party undermined it.

“Today, for the first time anyone can remember, we have a once-in-a-lifetime chance to put the old feuds and bitter hatreds behind us — and to declare that our future will not be ruled by the fights of generations past,” Trump plans to say during a speech at the summit, according to excerpts released by the White House.

Even so — the triumphant U.S. president cast the matter as a done deal while signing documents related to the truce.

“This took 3,000 years to get to this point, can you believe it? And it’s going to hold up too,” Trump said.

Officials at the summit are discussing Gaza’s future, including thorny issues such as persuading Hamas to disarm and ensuring the militant group agrees to play no part in the governance of the territory, which it’s ruled since 2007. They’re also expected to talk about some countries sending peacekeepers to Gaza and how to go about rebuilding the territory after two years of devastating war.

In Jerusalem, Trump said he was confident the ceasefire would hold and urged both Israel’s government and Palestinians to embrace the moment as an opportunity for lasting peace.

“Israel, with our help, has won all that they can by force of arms,” he said to the Knesset. “You’ve won. I mean, you’ve won. Now it’s time to translate these victories against terrorists on the battlefield into the ultimate prize of peace and prosperity for the entire Middle East.”

“The total focus of Gazans,” he continued, “must be on restoring the fundamentals of stability, safety, dignity, and economic development, so they can finally have the better life that their children really do deserve after all these decades of horror. I intend to be a partner in this effort.”

There’s plenty of skepticism the truce will last. Almost as soon as Trump finished his speech — mostly met with rapturous applause from Israeli lawmakers — the country’s defense minister, Israel Katz, said Hamas had failed to meet a commitment to release the remains of all dead hostages by Monday.

“Any delay or deliberate avoidance will be considered a gross violation of the agreement and will be responded to accordingly,” said Katz.

As of last week’s agreement, 48 hostages — all but one of them male — were still held in Gaza, with 20 of them alive.

There were scenes of jubilation in Israel as the 20 living captives were freed, as well as among Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank as prisoners were released.

Israel has pulled back troops from most populated areas in Gaza and has agreed to allow much more aid into the Mediterranean territory, home to around 2.2 million people.

Almost all have been displaced since the war began and the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says more than 67,000 of them have been killed. The Israeli military says almost 470 of its soldiers have died in combat in Gaza.

Hamas triggered the war with an attack on Israel from Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and abducting another 250.

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(With assistance from Kate Sullivan.)

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