Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) speaks as US President Donald Trump and Speaker of the Israeli Knesset Amir Ohana listen during an address to the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, in Jerusalem on October 13, 2025. AFP
"Prime Minister Netanyahu was invited by US President Donald Trump to attend a conference in Egypt today," his office said in a statement.
"The prime minister thanked President Trump for the invitation but said he would be unable to attend due to the timing coinciding with the start of the holiday" of Simhat Torah, which begins Monday evening and ends at sunset on Tuesday, the statement added.
Netanyahu also thanked Trump for his “efforts to expand the circle of peace — peace through strength.”
In a statement, Egypt’s presidency confirmed that Netanyahu declined to attend the summit “due to the religious holiday.”
Earlier, the Egyptian presidency said President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi received a phone call from Trump during his visit to Israel, in which Netanyahu also spoke with the president.
Initially, Netanyahu was said to have accepted the invitation.
Meanwhile, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas arrived in Sharm El-Sheikh to attend the summit.
On Saturday, a Hamas official told AFP the group would not take part in the formal signing of the Gaza deal.
“The matter of the official signing — we will not be involved,” political bureau member Hossam Badran said in an interview, adding that Hamas “acted mainly through Qatari and Egyptian mediators” during the ceasefire talks in Egypt.
The summit, co-chaired by US President Donald Trump and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, brings together more than 20 leaders to mark the Gaza ceasefire and the exchange of Israeli captives for Palestinian detainees.
“It’s a very good sign ... a recognition of the role the Palestinian Authority has to play as a legitimate entity,” French President Emmanuel Macron said.
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