Macron Confirms Palestine’s Abbas to Attend Gaza Summit

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas will attend the summit on Gaza that will take place in Egypt later Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron said.

The summit, co-chaired by US President Donald Trump and Egypt’s Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, will see more than 20 leaders gather to mark the Gaza ceasefire and the return of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian detainees.

Abbas is a rival of Hamas, whose attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, sparked the war in Gaza. Neither Israel nor Hamas will be represented at the summit.

Abbas, who leads the Palestinian Authority, “will be present at this summit”, Macron said.

“It’s a very good sign… It’s a recognition of the role the Palestinian Authority has to play as a legitimate entity,” he said.

“On the questions of governance, we will have a particular role to be by the side of the Palestinian Authority and to ensure it plays its part, and also that it conducts reforms for the day after,” Macron said of France.