New Delhi: India is set to be represented by Kirti Vardhan Singh, Minister of State for External Affairs, at the Sharm el-Sheikh Gaza peace summit being hosted by US President Donald Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi Monday.
Singh will travel for the peace conference after Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a last-minute invite from both Trump and Sisi. The conference will be jointly chaired by the two presidents, as the ceasefire negotiated by the US between Israel and Hamas came into effect Friday.
The two-year war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas is moving towards a conclusion. Hamas has agreed to release the remaining hostages held captive, while Israeli forces are withdrawing to agreed areas under Trump’s ceasefire plan announced last month. Hamas will start releasing hostages Monday morning, ahead of Trump’s visit to Egypt to jointly chair the peace summit, according to news reports.
In exchange for releasing the remaining captives, Israel is expected to free around 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,700 detainees from Gaza, while more aid will be allowed into the besieged Strip. The war between Israel and Hamas began on 7 October 2023 after Hamas fighters killed nearly 1,200 Israelis and took about 250 hostages. Israel’s response has seen over 67,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza and has led to a considerable drop in global support for Tel Aviv over the past two years.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron are among the other global leaders expected to attend the summit. Trump is on a two-day visit to West Asia and will address the Israeli Knesset Sunday before heading to Egypt Monday for the peace conference.
India-US ties thaw after months of strain
Ties between India and the US have been strained in recent months after Trump imposed tariffs of up to 50 percent on Indian exports, which came into effect at the end of August. The US administration has also introduced a $100,000 visa fee on H-1B visas, another irritant in bilateral ties. However, a partial thaw has gathered pace in recent weeks, with two phone calls between Modi and Trump in the past month.
US Ambassador to India-designate Sergio Gor is on a six-day visit to India and called on Modi Saturday in a rare meeting between the prime minister and an ambassador-designate. Gor was confirmed by the US Senate last week and has yet to present his credentials to President Droupadi Murmu.
Gor was effusive in his praise for the positive momentum in talks with Modi, in a brief statement to the media. The ambassador-designate also met External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval.
“We just finished an incredible meeting with Prime Minister Modi, where we discussed bilateral issues including defence, trade, and technology. We also discussed the importance of critical minerals and their significance to both our nations,” Gor said.
He added: “The US values its relationship with India, and under the strong leadership of President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Modi, I’m optimistic about the days ahead for both our nations.”
The visit by Gor and the positive calls between Modi and Trump are setting the stage for a potential meeting between the two leaders. They last met in February 2025 and were scheduled to meet again in June on the margins of the G7 summit. However, Trump returned to the US early and held a telephonic conversation with the Indian Prime Minister instead.
Following that, the two leaders did not communicate until Trump’s call to Modi last month to wish him on his seventy-fifth birthday.
(Edited by Shashank Kishan)
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