During the month of October 2025, Sharm el-Sheikh, called the City of Peace in Egypt, has been present in the media around the world. And for an unbeatable reason: the Peace Summit between Israel and Gaza. In these lines, we tell you more about this important role that this Egyptian destination has acquired, which is an added attraction to its many tourist charms, led by its Red Sea beaches.
A Long Tradition as a City of Peace
In comparison with other cities in Egypt, such as Luxor or Cairo, the history of Sharm el-Sheikh is relatively recent: located on the southern coast of the Sinai Peninsula, this small fishing village in the past barely appears in books and official documents until the mid-twentieth century, when it became a military base. Its true development began a few decades ago, driven as the Red Sea resort city that it is today.
However, its trajectory as a city of peace is one of the most solid in the world, despite having been in the eye of the conflict between 1956 and 1982, when the entire Sinai Peninsula was under Israeli rule in different phases. Or precisely because of that, for having been a lever for peace, Sharm el-Sheikh continues to bet on this peacemaking role.
A role that was already present in the memorandums of 1999, when the city hosted the signing of this pact, which gave continuity to the Oslo peace agreements of 1993, with the presence of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and the leader of the Palestinian National Authority, Yasser Arafat.
It was perhaps the most important milestone and the most symbolic meeting, but it was not the only one that has been held here to seek the difficult peace between Israel and Palestine. One can also mention the anti-terrorist agreements of 1996, the summits for the ceasefire of 2000 and 2005 in the context of the Second Intifada, or for the cessation of hostilities of Operation Cast Lead of 2009.
But not all the international summits held here have had as their objective the peace between Israel and Palestine: of prime importance was the Climate Summit, of the UN, held in 2022, with the added difficulty of the prevention measures implemented against Covid-19.
The Last Summit of Hope of 2025
For all this, the city known as the City of Peace in Egypt, did not hesitate to offer itself as the epicenter of the Summit for Peace, sponsored by US President Donald Trump and President Abdelfattah al-Sisi. Despite notable absences, such as that of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the result was a hopeful
Where Was the Peace Summit Held?
The place chosen for the celebration of this summit was the International Conference Center, also known by its acronym SHICC. It is the main fair and convention complex of the city, inaugurated in 2018, spread over an area of more than 30 km2 and with the capacity to accommodate more than 7,000 people at the same time.
Designed by the studio Hassan Allam Holding, it is a key piece in the local tourism industry: many of the city’s visitors pass through it, as numerous international meetings are held here, and also curious people who want to know what this modern venue is like that occasionally appears in the news for such laudable reasons.
In addition, the city has the Plaza de la Paz, with a large monument that symbolizes this objective in the center.
