State Department marks first anniversary of Trump’s Gaza peace summit

(Oct. 13, 2026 / JNS)

On the first anniversary of U.S. President Donald Trump’s Gaza Peace Summit, where world leaders gathered in Egypt to endorse his plan to end the war in Gaza, the U.S. State Department credited Trump on Tuesday with having “ended a war that had no end in sight.”

“One year ago today, leaders from across the world joined President Trump in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, for the Gaza Peace Summit to affirm their commitment to President Trump’s Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict,” Tommy Pigott, the State Department spokesman, stated.

“Since that historic breakthrough, a series of remarkable achievements have built the foundations for a new Gaza—an enduring ceasefire, the return of every hostage both living and deceased, the establishment of the Board of Peace and a Palestinian technocratic administration to run Gaza, and a fully costed recovery plan,” he stated.

“Humanitarian assistance has also increased so that food support is reaching more Palestinians, while Hamas theft of aid has dwindled,” Pigott said. “These achievements, while remarkable, represent only the beginning.”

On Oct. 13, 2025, Trump joined Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to sign a declaration in support of a ceasefire in Gaza and a hostage-release agreement.

Earlier that day, Hamas released the 20 remaining living Israeli hostages under the first phase of the agreement. Trump addressed the Knesset before departing for Egypt.

In January, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff announced the second phase of Trump’s 20-point peace plan, which called for Hamas’s disarmament, Gaza’s reconstruction and the establishment of a transitional Palestinian administration.

The administration subsequently established the Board of Peace to oversee Gaza’s reconstruction and transition to civilian governance. The board has proposed steps toward demilitarization, although disagreements remain over the timetable and conditions for Hamas’s disarmament.

“Rebuilding Gaza will be an arduous, multi-year process, and implementation will be difficult,” Pigott stated. “But we are making real progress toward a demilitarized Gaza, where Palestinians can live without Hamas rule and Israel can have genuine and lasting security.”