India will be represented by Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh at the Sharm el-Sheikh Peace Summit in Egypt, hosted by President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and co-chaired by US President Donald Trump.
| Photo Credit:
Siva Saravanan S/The Hindu
Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh is set to represent India at a peace summit in Egypt’s Red Sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh on Monday, people familiar with the matter said.
It is learnt that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was invited for the summit that is expected to be attended by US President Donald Trump and nearly 20 other world leaders.
However, New Delhi deputed Singh to attend the summit.
Summit aims for lasting peace in Gaza, wider Middle East
The ‘Sharm el-Sheikh Peace Summit’, being hosted by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, will discuss ways to bring lasting peace to Gaza as well as to the wider Middle-East. It will be co-chaired by al-Sisi and Trump.
Minister of State for External Affairs Singh will represent India at the peace summit, the people cited above said.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Italy’s Giorgia Meloni, French President Emmanuel Macron and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres are among leaders attending the summit.
“The summit will be co-chaired by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and US President Donald Trump, with the participation of leaders from more than 20 countries,” an Egyptian readout said.
Ceasefire in Gaza holds as hostages’ release expected
“The summit aims to end the war in the Gaza Strip, enhance efforts to bring peace and stability to the Middle East, and usher in a new phase of regional security and stability,” it said.
The summit is taking place days after the first phase of President Trump’s Gaza peace plan has come into effect.
The ceasefire in Gaza came into effect on Friday.
It is expected that Hamas will release around 20 living hostages on Monday morning.
Israel launched the war in Gaza after Hamas attacked Israeli cities on October 7, 2023 killing about 1,200 people. Hamas also took 251 people as hostages and over 50 of them are still in its captivity.
Israeli military operations have killed over 66,000 Palestinians since then, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry.
Gaza has been reeling under a massive humanitarian crisis largely due to scarcity of food and medicines. The World Health Organisation said last month that Gaza’s malnutrition rates have reached “alarming levels”.
Published on October 12, 2025
