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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not attend Monday's summit on ending the Gaza war in Egypt, his office said, after Cairo had earlier announced he would take part, Reuters reported.
In a statement, Netanyahu's office said he had been invited by U.S. President Donald Trump to participate in the meeting of world leaders in Sharm el-Sheikh but declined "due to the timing's proximity to the beginning of (a Jewish) holiday."
"The Prime Minister thanked President Trump for his invitation and for his efforts to expand the circle of peace — peace through strength," the statement said, according to Reuters.
An Egyptian presidential spokesperson earlier said both Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Netanyahu were expected to join the summit "to solidify the agreement to end the war in Gaza and reaffirm their commitment to it."
The spokesperson also said Trump and Netanyahu spoke by phone with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi while they were in Israel on Monday.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is among more than 20 world leaders to attend the summit. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and French President Emmanuel Macron are also among the participants.