US President Donald Trump declared the Gaza war over on Monday after hundreds of Palestinians and Israelis were freed from imprisonment.
Mr Trump led a signing ceremony in Egypt for a Gaza ceasefire deal he hailed as a historic moment for the Middle East.
"With the historic agreement we’ve just signed, those prayers of millions have finally been answered," Mr Trump said. "At long last, we have peace in the Middle East."
Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim, Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan joined Mr Trump in signing a document related to the deal at a summit in Sharm El Sheikh.
Mr Trump held up one page to the cameras that contained a pledge of tolerance and dignity for the Middle East. "We pursue a comprehensive vision of peace, security, and shared prosperity in the region, grounded in the principles of mutual respect and shared destiny," it said.
The US President arrived in Egypt from Israel after addressing its parliament, the Knesset, earlier on Monday. "This is a tremendous day for the world, it's a tremendous day for the Middle East," he said.
After landing in Egypt, Mr Trump praised Mr El Sisi for having "played a very important role" in brokering the Gaza peace deal. "I appreciate it very much," the US President said.
Mr Trump said reconstruction of Gaza would be the main focus of the next round of negotiations, which he said had already begun, with US backing. He hinted that some of the countries present at the Egyptian summit would be invited to join a "board of peace" overseeing a new authority in Gaza.
Mr El Sisi said Mr Trump was the "only one who can achieve peace", in remarks praising the US role in brokering the truce. He said Mr Trump had shown "real leadership is not achieved through waging war but through brokering peace ... and we are confident in your leadership to implement the current agreement and its various stages".
The summit marks the best hope yet that the two-year Gaza war is over after claiming more than 67,000 Palestinian lives during relentless Israeli bombardment. Gaza officials said 60 more bodies were recovered on Monday as rescue workers sift through the rubble.
Several Middle East and European leaders were attending the peace summit in Egypt. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Presidential Court, represented the UAE.
World leaders attend Gaza peace summit in Egypt - in pictures
Among the leaders attending from the region were Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, whose authority is being lined up for a greater role in one day governing Gaza, and Jordan's King Abdullah II.
Sheikh Tamim and Mr Erdogan were sat at the front of the signing ceremony with Mr El Sisi and Mr Trump, reflecting their nations' key role in mediating the ceasefire talks that produced an initial ceasefire deal in Egypt.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not attend, with his office citing a Jewish holiday that begins on Tuesday, after Egypt had briefly raised expectations that he would.
US envoy Steve Witkoff promised during a meeting with Mr Trump and Mr El Sisi that the US would remain involved in the region to ensure the ceasefire is implemented and that aid deliveries to Gaza are sustained. The UN declared a famine in parts of Gaza in August after a months-long Israeli blockade.
European leaders at the talks included Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who has pledged about $27 million to help rebuild water and sanitation systems in Gaza. French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz also travelled to Egypt.
Hamas released the last 20 surviving Israeli hostages on Monday under phase one of the ceasefire deal sealed last week. It is also expected to release the remains of 28 dead hostages, although only four were being handed over on Monday, to the annoyance of relatives.
In return, Israel is releasing hundreds of Palestinian detainees, some of whom had been serving long prison sentences in Israeli jails. Some were returning to Gaza or the occupied West Bank on Monday, while others were deported to Egypt to live in exile.
In Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, families told The National they had been warned by Israeli authorities not to celebrate publicly, but the scene quickly overflowed with emotion. Mothers and fathers clutched their sons, crying and screaming with relief.
Phase two of the plan is expected to feature talks on disarming Hamas and a fuller Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. Israeli troops have so far retreated only to agreed lines within the strip – they still control about half the territory.
Reconstruction of Gaza could then begin with Arab and international funds. A new "board of peace" chaired by Mr Trump would oversee a new Palestinian administration in Gaza, potentially involving former UK prime minister Tony Blair, who has also worked as a Middle East envoy.
During his speech at the Knesset, Mr Trump declared an end to the “long and painful nightmare” of the Gaza war. He said a new coalition of “proud and responsible” nations had come together to achieve peace and the “historic dawn of a new Middle East”.
“Now at last, not only for Israelis, but for Palestinians and many others, the pain is over,” said the US leader.
His speech, the first by a US president in the Knesset since 2008 when George W Bush addressed the chamber, was interrupted by two members of the parliament, Ayman Odeh and Ofer Cassif, who were removed for protesting by calling Israel's war in Gaza "genocide" and urging Mr Trump to recognise Palestinian statehood. Both are representatives of the left-wing Hadash alliance.
