Cohosted by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and US President Donald Trump, the ‘Gaza Peace Summit’ has begun on October 13, with the goal of bringing permanent peace to the region.
After a ceasefire deal that also saw the final 20 Israeli hostages released, freed Palestinian detainees returned to Khan Younis and Ramallah to jubilant crowds. The agreement included the release of 250 Palestinians serving life sentences and more than 1,700 people previously held without charge.
While the ceasefire was hailed as a breakthrough, thousands remain missing beneath the rubble in Gaza. Civil defence workers, short on equipment, are reduced to reportedly clawing through debris by hand. “We are focusing on collecting the corpses lying in the streets to preserve what remains,” said Khaled al-Ayoubi, head of northern Gaza’s rescue teams.
Gaza’s civil defence agency estimates that the bodies of around 10,000 people are trapped under debris. However, the current halt has given the ambulance service the chance to finally start the search for the dead and give their families a chance at closure.
Meanwhile, at the Gaza Peace Summit, Trump announced, “Against all odds, we have done the impossible, and brought our hostages home.” His declaration that “the war is over” still leaves many of the core questions unanswered.
Trump will co-host the summit alongside Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. 20 world leaders are in attendance, including Hungary’s Viktor Orbán, Italy’s Giorgia Meloni, France’s Emmanuel Macron, Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and Britain’s Keir Starmer. Neither Israeli officials nor Hamas will attend.
Dozens of international activists detained by Israeli forces were deported through Jordan earlier this week, including five Irish citizens who had joined a humanitarian flotilla in the Mediterranean. Among them were writer Naoise Dolan, Dr Veronica O’Keane, Independent TD Barry Heneghan, Fionn MacArthur and Mutaz Jadaan. Dolan and O’Keane are expected to arrive in Dublin today, October 13, with supporters planning a welcome gathering at Terminal 1, Dublin Airport.
© 2025 GCN (Gay Community News). All rights reserved.
Support GCN
GCN is a free, vital resource for Ireland’s LGBTQ+ community since 1988.
GCN is a trading name of National LGBT Federation CLG, a registered charity - Charity Number: 20034580.
GCN relies on the generous support of the community and allies to sustain the crucial work that we do. Producing GCN is costly, and, in an industry which has been hugely impacted by rising costs, we need your support to help sustain and grow this vital resource.
Supporting GCN for as little as €1.99 per month will help us continue our work as Ireland’s free, independent LGBTQ+ media.
comments. Please sign in to comment.