Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on Monday praised the newly signed Sharm El-Sheikh Agreement to End the War in Gaza as a "historic turning point." He said it offeres a rare chance to close a painful chapter of conflict and usher in a new era of peace and stability across the Middle East. Speaking at the Sharm El-Sheikh Summit for Peace, Sisi lauded President Donald Trump for what he called "wise and courageous leadership" in helping broker the deal. The Egyptian leader announced that Trump would receive Egypt's highest civilian decoration — the Collar of the Nile — in recognition of his role in ending the war. Sisi also extended thanks to the United States, Türkiye, and Qatar for their mediation efforts and urged all parties to seize what he described as a "final historic opportunity" to achieve a comprehensive peace based on a two-state solution. "True leadership is not about waging wars, but ending them," Sisi said, calling for the Gaza war to be "the last of the wars in the Middle East." He added that Egypt would host a conference on early recovery, reconstruction, and development to coordinate international efforts to rebuild Gaza, emphasising that peace "cannot be complete unless hands are extended to rebuild after destruction." Addressing the Israeli people directly, Sisi urged them to embrace "a new beginning built on justice and peaceful coexistence," and to view the agreement as a chance to transform "the enemies of yesterday into the partners of tomorrow." The Egyptian president described the peace accord as laying the groundwork for what he called a "new Middle East" — one free of war, extremism, and weapons of mass destruction, where the region's peoples can live "in dignity, within secure borders and with equal rights." Attribution: Amwal Al Ghad English
