All arrangements have been finalised for the historic signing of the Gaza peace deal in one of the most important political cities, Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt, during an international summit on Monday.
The summit aimed at ending the war in Gaza will be co-chaired by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and US President Donald Trump.
Egypt has confirmed sending invitations to foreign ministers from European, Arab and Islamic nations to witness the signing of the historic deal and discuss the post-war reconstruction plan for Gaza.
It is quite likely that heads of state, Prime Ministers and Foreign Ministers from France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Pakistan, Qatar, Malaysia, Indonesia, Jordan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the UAE will participate and oversee the signing of the pact.
The summit aimed at reconstructing Gaza will be held following the formalisation of the agreement to end the two-year-long war between Israel and Hamas.
Meanwhile, the foreign ministers of the invited countries have exchanged their views on the ongoing peace and security challenges currently prevailing in the Middle East, particularly the developments in Gaza and Palestine amid the Gaza peace plan.
Additionally, diplomats also shared their views on the situation in Syria, Yemen, Lebanon, and Iran to de-escalate tensions between Israel and the rest of the Gulf States.
Also read: India’s role in the new Gaza peace
While experts have said Israel did not achieve the stated objectives, both Israel and Hamas have claimed victories.
The gruesome conflict has killed more than 70,000 people and injured nearly 2,00,000 more, with thousands buried under the rubble of the devastated Gaza enclave.
Western experts believe that it is a "tactical retreat of Israel" due to mounting pressure from the international community over the conduct of the Israeli military in Gaza.
Hamas can celebrate for the time being, yet the code of conduct and their attack, which brought death and destruction to Gazans, must also be taken note of by the Arab and Islamic world. Its actions must be scrutinised, with analysis being done on how those terrible actions caused the worst humanitarian crisis of the modern world.
The organisation still calls the shots, which it should not, due to a range of different factors, including its incompatibility and inexperience in governance-related matters. Hamas as a force has no role in the political matters of Gaza, which they should hand over to the elected representatives for the best interest of the enclave.
Additionally, there is an important role the Islamic world should play in the context of the future of Israel and Gaza relations. Both sides hate each other, but Arabs and Israelis must find a common ground for peaceful coexistence.
Further, the international community has a role to play in Gaza. Like Trump, rest of the major international powers should send their peacekeepers to oversee the proper implementation of the ceasefire in Gaza until the situation normalises between the two sides.
Also read: How did Trump pull off the Gaza ceasefire deal?
Meanwhile, Israel will need to exercise restraint, stop land grabs, and detention of thousands of Palestinians in prisons without parole for decades.
The upcoming peace deal should be taken as an opportunity by the stakeholders to build the ground for a better future for the Palestinian people, and also work towards resettlement plans.
This can be achieved through serious and honest commitment to reconstructing health, education, and life-supporting amenities for the desperate people, which would mark a meaningful conclusion of the devastating crisis that started two years ago in Gaza.
US President Trump will visit Israel on Monday, the same day that the 20 living hostages and the remains of 28 are expected to be released.
There has to be some sort of solution with concrete measures being taken by the observer states.
Pressure has to be applied on both sides of the conflict to prevent the violation of the ceasefire deal in the context of the decades-long unsolved issue.
Amidst all the chaos, death, destruction, and starvation crisis, Palestinians in Gaza can finally breathe a sigh of relief, with all the hardships coming to an end tomorrow with the signing of the agreement.
By Waseem Ahmad Ganie
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