New Delhi will be represented by Minister of State for External Affairs Kirtivardhan Singh in place of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who received an invitation from Egypt President
India will send Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardan Singh to represent India at the Peace Summit on Gaza in Sharm el Sheikh to be co-hosted by Egypt and the United States on Monday (October 13, 2025), officials confirmed to The Hindu.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among more than 20 world leaders invited over the weekend to attend the summit, which will be co-hosted by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and U.S. President Donald Trump, to discuss the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, brokered mainly by negotiators from the U.S., Egypt and Qatar. However, given the short notice, Mr. Modi, whose invitation was delivered by Egyptian Ambassador Kamel Galal, also met with U.S. special envoy and Ambassador-designate Sergio Gor in Delhi on Saturday, declined the invitation. Mr. Singh left for Cairo on Sunday, and will travel to Sharm el Sheikh on Monday, the officials said. Mr. Modi is, however, expected to meet Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty later this week, who is travelling to Delhi to hold the India-Egypt Strategic Dialogue.
According to sources, Mr. Abdelatty’s visit is part of the Sisi-Modi Strategic Partnership Agreement signed in January 2023, and this is his first visit to India since taking over in 2024. Mr. Abdelatty has had to cancel more than four previous attempts to visit Delhi in the past year, due to developments in the Gaza conflict, or scheduling difficulties in Delhi. However, he has been in frequent contact with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, including during Operation Sindoor in May, and Egypt had strongly condemned the Pahalgam terror attacks. Mr. Abdelatty is also expected to brief the government on the plans for the reconstruction of Gaza. Although Egypt is not a member of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), it has been keen to discuss alternative route alignments through Sharm el Sheikh with India, given the security issues with Israel’s Haifa port, where the current alignment lies.
Among those who have confirmed their participation at Monday’s event in Sharm el Sheikh are UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, and leaders of the France, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom, and a number of other leaders from Europe, the Gulf region, and other parts of Asia are expected to be there as well. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will attend, while Iran’s leadership, which received a surprise invitation has declined it, as has Hamas. It is still unclear whether Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas would attend. On Monday morning, Mr. Trump will be in Jerusalem to address the Israeli parliament as he and Mr. Netanyahu await the release by Hamas of 20 Israeli hostages still alive, and the return the remaining bodies of those who have died since they were abducted by Hamas during the 2023 terror attacks in Israel, and Israel releases about 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
Mr. Abdelatty spoke by telephone to his counterparts in a number of countries, said the Egyptian Foreign Ministry on Sunday, and conveyed the invitation from President Sisi and President Trump to witness the signing of a peace agreement.
“During the calls, Minister Abdelatty discussed the substantive arrangements of the summit, which is a historic summit aimed at ending the war on the Gaza Strip and inaugurating a new chapter of peace and security in the region,” said the Egyptian MFA statement.
“The summit seeks to help restore regional stability and alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people in Gaza, in line with U.S. President Donald Trump’s vision for peace in the region and his sincere efforts to establish peace and stability in the Middle East and resolve conflicts worldwide,” it added. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had welcomed the Gaza ceasefire agreement last week and spoke to Mr. Trump over the telephone to congratulate him.
India sends Minister to Egypt for Gaza summit
New Delhi will be represented by Minister of State for External Affairs Kirtivardhan Singh in place of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who received an invitation from Egypt President
India will send Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardan Singh to represent India at the Peace Summit on Gaza in Sharm el Sheikh to be co-hosted by Egypt and the United States on Monday (October 13, 2025), officials confirmed to The Hindu.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among more than 20 world leaders invited over the weekend to attend the summit, which will be co-hosted by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and U.S. President Donald Trump, to discuss the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, brokered mainly by negotiators from the U.S., Egypt and Qatar. However, given the short notice, Mr. Modi, whose invitation was delivered by Egyptian Ambassador Kamel Galal, also met with U.S. special envoy and Ambassador-designate Sergio Gor in Delhi on Saturday, declined the invitation. Mr. Singh left for Cairo on Sunday, and will travel to Sharm el Sheikh on Monday, the officials said. Mr. Modi is, however, expected to meet Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty later this week, who is travelling to Delhi to hold the India-Egypt Strategic Dialogue.
According to sources, Mr. Abdelatty’s visit is part of the Sisi-Modi Strategic Partnership Agreement signed in January 2023, and this is his first visit to India since taking over in 2024. Mr. Abdelatty has had to cancel more than four previous attempts to visit Delhi in the past year, due to developments in the Gaza conflict, or scheduling difficulties in Delhi. However, he has been in frequent contact with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, including during Operation Sindoor in May, and Egypt had strongly condemned the Pahalgam terror attacks. Mr. Abdelatty is also expected to brief the government on the plans for the reconstruction of Gaza. Although Egypt is not a member of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), it has been keen to discuss alternative route alignments through Sharm el Sheikh with India, given the security issues with Israel’s Haifa port, where the current alignment lies.
Among those who have confirmed their participation at Monday’s event in Sharm el Sheikh are UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, and leaders of the France, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom, and a number of other leaders from Europe, the Gulf region, and other parts of Asia are expected to be there as well. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will attend, while Iran’s leadership, which received a surprise invitation has declined it, as has Hamas. It is still unclear whether Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas would attend. On Monday morning, Mr. Trump will be in Jerusalem to address the Israeli parliament as he and Mr. Netanyahu await the release by Hamas of 20 Israeli hostages still alive, and the return the remaining bodies of those who have died since they were abducted by Hamas during the 2023 terror attacks in Israel, and Israel releases about 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
Mr. Abdelatty spoke by telephone to his counterparts in a number of countries, said the Egyptian Foreign Ministry on Sunday, and conveyed the invitation from President Sisi and President Trump to witness the signing of a peace agreement.
“During the calls, Minister Abdelatty discussed the substantive arrangements of the summit, which is a historic summit aimed at ending the war on the Gaza Strip and inaugurating a new chapter of peace and security in the region,” said the Egyptian MFA statement.
“The summit seeks to help restore regional stability and alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people in Gaza, in line with U.S. President Donald Trump’s vision for peace in the region and his sincere efforts to establish peace and stability in the Middle East and resolve conflicts worldwide,” it added. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had welcomed the Gaza ceasefire agreement last week and spoke to Mr. Trump over the telephone to congratulate him.
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