The Middle East has always been chaotic, and the Gaza issue has been entangled for several years. From the beginning of the war between Israel and Hamas in 2023, there has finally been a turning point. On October 13, 2025, U.S. President Trump flew directly from Washington to Israel on Air Force One, then turned to Egypt to host an international summit on the ceasefire in Gaza. The matter became quite a fuss, inviting leaders from more than 20 countries to gather in the Red Sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt. Egyptian President Sisi and Trump hosted the summit together, and the focus of the summit was to finalize the next step in the ceasefire agreement and promote regional stability. However, what is interesting is that the US invitation list does not include China, a country with considerable influence.

The Gaza War began with the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, killing more than 1,200 people and capturing 251 people. Israel subsequently launched a massive assault, with the Palestinian side killed more than 6,7 million, mostly civilians. The war burned for more than two years, and the international community mediated several rounds, including Egypt, Qatar and Turkey's diplomatic crossroads. After Trump came to power, he launched a 20-point Gaza peace plan, the core of which was a phase-by-phase ceasefire: the first phase, Hamas released hostages, the Israeli partial withdrawal, and increased humanitarian aid; the second phase, involving Israel's complete withdrawal from Gaza, Hamas disarmament, the establishment of a transitional government;

On the morning of October 13, Trump first landed at the Ben-Gurion airport in Israel, headed to the Israeli Parliament building in Jerusalem, and spoke 45 minutes to parliamentarians, emphasizing the United States¡¯ support for Israeli security and promoting diplomatic settlement. After speaking, he also met some hostage families and listened to their experiences. Without delay, he flew to Sham Sheik and flew for an hour. Sisi was on board at the airport, and the two first opened a small meeting to define the summit details. The summit opened in the afternoon, the venue was the local conference center, and a round of welcoming banners, writing ¡°Ending the war agreement¡± and ¡°City of peace¡±. Trump said at the opening ceremony that the United States played a key role in mediation and the cease

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was not invited to the summit. He said he could not go because of the Jewish holiday Tora. In fact, there were more complicated reasons behind it. Netanyahu has reservations about Trump's plan, only agreeing to the first phase of the ceasefire and does not want to withdraw completely. Let alone Hamas, which, as the actual controller of Gaza, is not on the invitation list at all. This makes the summit less of direct conflict parties and more like a coordination meeting among allies. Egyptian officials said the summit's purpose was to end the war in Gaza and strengthen peace in the Middle East, but the agenda was not fully open. Aid allocation, supervision mechanisms and preliminary reconstruction planning were actually discussed. Trump pushed for the signing of a memorandum called the "Trump Declaration on Lasting Peace and Prosperity," signed by the leaders of the United States, Egypt, Turkey and Qatar. The content is a broad commitment to support Trump's peace plan, but it is more symbolic. After signing, everyone took a group photo with Trump standing in the middle.

Why wasn't China invited? When Trump's peace plan earlier listed supporting countries, it also included China, but when the summit was invited, China was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps because Sino-US relations have been tense over the years, the United States does not want China to interfere in Middle East affairs. China has its own influence in the Middle East and plays a role through the United Nations and independent mediation, such as promoting a reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Iran in 2023. But the Trump-led summit is more like an occasion for the United States to win over allies and does not want China to lose the limelight. Iran's refusal to attend also shows that the summit list is selective. The Palestinian Authority attended, but Hamas was absent, making the implementation of the agreement a problem. After the summit, Trump flew back to the United States that night, leaving follow-up work for all parties.

The first phase of the ceasefire was working well, with Israel withdrawing from parts of Gaza and retaining checkpoints to ensure security. Hamas released the remaining hostages, including 20 confirmed survivors. Israel released people accordingly, opened aid channels, and the World Food Program said it could bring goods into Gaza as it did during the January ceasefire. Thousands of Palestinians moved north along the coast to return to their destroyed homes. However, the second stage was very troublesome. Israel completely withdrew its troops in exchange for Hamas to abandon its arms. Netanyahu refused to relent and only promised the first stage. Hamas officials said there was "no way" to disarm and insisted on Israel's complete withdrawal and Gaza's integration into a Palestinian state. The multinational force and technical government proposed by Trump's plan will be funded by Arab countries, but the details have not been finalized. The reconstruction of Gaza requires huge amounts of money, and many countries have promised assistance, but it needs to be coordinated by the United Nations. Territorial disputes are long-standing problems, and Israel is unwilling to spit out the occupied areas unless it has no choice.

Trump plans to retain the role of the Palestinian Authority, but must reform it. Arab countries attach conditions: Israel is not allowed to annex Gaza or the West Bank, stop provoking the Al Aqsa Mosque, and provide immediate humanitarian assistance. Although the summit signed documents, experts said lasting peace is difficult. What Gaza residents want is long-term peace and stability, not a temporary truce. If the United States, Israel and partners fail to protect the basic living space of Palestinians, conflicts will recur and hatred will spread. Egypt wants to use the summit to revitalize the reputation of a "city of peace". The last summit in 2005 ended the second Palestinian uprising. But the situation is more complicated now. The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu. Egypt is not a signatory, but his attendance will be controversial.

On the surface, Trump's trip to the Middle East was a diplomatic victory. He gathered more than 20 countries and signed the declaration. But problems pile up underneath. Iran's absence shows regional division. The exclusion of China reflects that the United States wants to monopolize mediation power in the Middle East. However, China prefers multilateral platforms and has nothing to lose by not participating in US-led meetings. Peace in the Middle East depends on concessions from all parties and cannot be settled by a summit.