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Exclusive: Sharm el-Sheikh summit on Gaza to convene without Palestinian Authority participation

The New Arab Staff
Oct 12, 2025

The PA was not invited to the Sharm el-Sheikh summit on Gaza, as world leaders prepare to discuss postwar arrangements without its participation. The meeting will be co-chaired by Presidents Sisi and Trump

The Palestinian Authority (PA) has not been invited to participate in the Sharm el-Sheikh summit on Gaza on Monday, when world leaders from 20 countries will attend under US-Egyptian chairmanship, a senior Palestinian official has confirmed to The New Arab‘s Arabic edition on Sunday.

The Palestinian leadership reached out to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, who extended the invitations, and asked him to receive President Mahmoud Abbas privately “to reaffirm that the Palestinian leadership remains the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people”, the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said.

However, the source said, Sisi did not respond to the request.

According to the same source, Cairo decided not to invite the PA because it was not included in US President Donald Trump‘s postwar plan for Gaza.

Egypt announced on Saturday that it would host the international summit on Monday to discuss the future of the ceasefire in Gaza and arrangements to end the war, which has devastated the enclave. The meeting will be co-chaired by Presidents Sisi and Trump.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is also expected to participate, alongside Jordan’s King Abdullah II, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

According to Axios, the United States significantly expanded the list of invitees to include Spain, Japan, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Hungary, India, El Salvador, Cyprus, Greece, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Canada.

The outlet also reported that Iran had been invited.

Foreign ministers or leaders from Germany, France, the UK, Italy, Qatar, the UAE, Jordan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Indonesia are expected to attend.

Both Israel and Hamas will be absent from the summit.

Hamas official Husam Badran told AFP that the group would “not participate” in the ceasefire agreement signing on Monday, while Axios quoted a US official saying Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was not expected to attend.

A Palestinian source told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that the meeting, held around 14:00 local time (12:00 GMT) in the Jordanian capital, was an “exploratory” discussion about the PA’s potential return to Gaza and its future role there.

“The meeting will focus on how and when the PA could return, and what responsibilities it might assume,” the source said. “There is talk of a one-year transitional phase, and the leadership wants to know whether it will have a role in that stage and whether it will be represented in the reconstruction committee. The answers to these questions will signal what kind of role the PA might play in the next phase.”

According to Kan 11, Abbas’s office was promised tangible influence in the future governance of Gaza under arrangements discussed by mediators. The PA is expected to play a “central role” in choosing members of the technocratic committee and in overseeing operations at Rafah once it reopens in both directions.

The report also cited an Arab diplomat from one of the mediating countries saying preparations are underway for talks on the next stage of Trump’s Gaza plan, specifically regarding which entity will control the areas vacated by the Israeli military.

The diplomat added that one proposal envisions a Palestinian governing body for Gaza that was not affiliated with Hamas but may include international participation.

Regarding security, Kan 11 said Arab states were pushing for the deployment of Palestinian police forces under PA authority, trained in Egypt and Jordan in recent months.

The force would reportedly comprise around 5,000 officers responsible for public order and security, supported by international and joint Arab contingents.

Sisi has publicly called for an international presence in Gaza, and Egyptian and Arab leaders are reportedly lobbying Trump to approve the deployment of the Palestinian police force as part of the postwar arrangements.

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