A European Union spokesperson confirmed that European Council President António Costa will represent the bloc at an international summit on Gaza, hosted by Egypt on Monday.
The spokesperson explained, "This plan provides a real opportunity to build a just and lasting peace, and the European Union is fully committed to supporting these efforts and contributing to their implementation."
For his part, a German government spokesman said in a statement on Sunday that Chancellor Friedrich Merz will travel to Egypt on Monday to participate in the signing ceremony of the ceasefire plan for Gaza.
The statement added: "Germany will commit to implementing the peace plan, with an initial focus on maintaining a stable ceasefire and providing humanitarian aid. The Chancellor will confirm this commitment during his trip tomorrow."
A number of leaders have also announced their participation in the summit, including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Jordanian King Abdullah II.
French President Emmanuel Macron will also visit Egypt to affirm his "support for the implementation of the agreement proposed by President Trump to end the war in Gaza," and will hold talks "with his partners on the next stages of implementing the peace plan," according to the Élysée Palace.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will participate in the summit, which "represents a historic turning point for the region after two years of conflict and bloodshed."
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and European Council President António Costa will also participate.
The Egyptian presidency announced on Saturday that an international summit will be held in Sharm el-Sheikh next Monday, co-chaired by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and his US counterpart, Donald Trump, with the participation of leaders from more than 20 countries and UN Secretary-General António Guterres. The summit aims to end the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip.
On Thursday, Trump announced that Israel and Hamas had reached an agreement on the first phase of his ceasefire and prisoner exchange plan, following indirect negotiations between the two sides in Sharm el-Sheikh, with the participation of Turkey, Egypt, and Qatar, and under US supervision.
The first phase of the ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel went into effect at 12:00 noon on Friday, Jerusalem time (09:00 GMT), after the Israeli government approved the agreement at dawn.
The agreement is based on a plan proposed by Trump, which calls for a ceasefire, a gradual withdrawal of the Israeli occupation army, a mutual release of prisoners, the immediate entry of aid into the Gaza Strip, and the disarmament of Hamas.
With American support, Israel has been committing genocide in Gaza since October 8, 2023, leaving 67,806 martyrs and 170,066 wounded, most of them children and women, and causing a famine that claimed the lives of 463 Palestinians, including 157 children.
