World leaders gather in Sharm el-Sheikh for Gaza peace summit

Leaders from more than 20 countries are gathering in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh to hammer out the next steps in the Israel-Hamas peace process.

The summit is co-chaired by US President Donald Trump and Egypt’s Abdel Fattah al Sissi. Mahmoud Abbas, the leader of the Palestinian Authority, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and a number of Arab and European leaders are also participating.

Hamas will not take part and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not confirmed his attendance.

The release of all 20 living Israeli hostages on Monday morning has raised hopes that the war has at last come to an end. But there are many questions that remain to be answered, including who will govern Gaza and whether or not Hamas will disarm, as Israel insists.

For now, Hamas has refused and is demanding that Israeli troops withdraw completely from Gaza.

Under a peace plan put forward by the US, an Arab-led international force will maintain security in Gaza and Israeli forces will withdraw from the areas where those forces deploy. The plan also mentions the possibility of a Palestinian state, something Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has refused to consider.

The summit comes two years after Hamas launched a surprise attack on southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and kidnapping 251 others. Israeli's offensive against Hamas has destroyed large swaths of Gaza. Some 67,000 Palestinians have been killed and 90 percent of Gaza's 2 million residents displaced.