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Cairo Peace Summit Ends without a Joint Statement, Unveiling Differences on Gaza War

Leaders in a family photo at the Cairo Peace Summit (Egyptian Presidency)
Leaders in a family photo at the Cairo Peace Summit (Egyptian Presidency)
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Cairo Peace Summit Ends without a Joint Statement, Unveiling Differences on Gaza War

Leaders in a family photo at the Cairo Peace Summit (Egyptian Presidency)
Leaders in a family photo at the Cairo Peace Summit (Egyptian Presidency)

The Cairo Peace Summit was overshadowed by forced displacement and warnings against the expansion of the Israel-Hamas conflict in the Gaza Strip, amid fears that it could lead to a regional war.

Speeches at the summit revealed disparities in positions toward the war on Gaza, and the meeting ended with leaders and officials not agreeing on a joint statement.

The Arab leaders focused on rejecting the displacement of the Palestinians and urging for an immediate cessation of the war, while the European officials called for opening a safe corridor to ensure aid delivery.

The Egyptian Presidency stated that it would spare no effort in continuing to work with all partners to achieve the goals that called for holding this summit, regardless of the difficulties or the duration of the conflict.

Egypt will always maintain its firm position in support of Palestinian rights, believing in peace as a strategic and irreversible option until the vision of a two-state solution, Palestinians and Israelis, living side by side, is realized.

By calling for this summit, the Egyptian Presidency sought to build an international consensus that transcends cultures, races, religions, and political stances, prioritizing the flow of humanitarian and relief aid and delivering it to the proper beneficiaries from the people of the Gaza Strip.

Egypt looked forward to the participants to launch a global call for peace.

"The international scene over the past decades has revealed a serious deficiency in finding a just and lasting solution to the Palestinian issue because it sought to manage the conflict and not end it permanently."

The statement noted: "While we see one place rushing and competing to condemn the killing of innocent people promptly, we find incomprehensible hesitation in denouncing the same act in another place. We even see attempts to justify this killing, as if the life of the Palestinian human being is less important than that of other people."

Leaders, heads of government, and envoys from regional and international countries participated in the summit, seeking to advance efforts to contain the crisis in the Gaza Strip.

During his speech at the opening session, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi called on the summit participants to agree on a roadmap to end the current humanitarian tragedy and revive the path of peace.

Sisi explained that the roadmap begins with ensuring the full, safe, unfettered, and sustainable flow of humanitarian aid and relief to the people of Gaza, followed instantaneously by negotiations on achieving calm and a ceasefire.

Then, he indicated that it should be followed by talks on reviving the peace process, which shall start to put into effect the two-state solution and establish an independent Palestinian State based on the resolutions of international legitimacy.

Sisi renewed his country's condemnation of "in the clearest terms, the targeting, killing, and intimidation of peaceful civilians."

He expressed at the same time Cairo's "deep shock that the world is standing by idly while the catastrophic humanitarian crisis unfolds. Two and a half million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are being punished collectively."

Since the beginning of the Israeli attack on Gaza, Tel Aviv has tightened the siege on the Strip, cutting off its water, electricity, and fuel supplies.

On Saturday, the first aid convoy crossed the Rafah border to Gaza, including 20 trucks loaded with medicines and food supplies. The crossing was closed again, and other trucks awaited permission to enter.

- Rejecting displacement

The Egyptian President reaffirmed his country's "vehement rejection of the forced displacement of the Palestinians and their transfer to Egyptian lands in Sinai," saying it would mark the last gasp in the "liquidation of the Palestinian cause, and shatter the dream of an independent Palestinian state."

He asserted that the Palestinian people do not want to leave their land, even under occupation or bombardment.

"I want to state it clearly and unequivocally to the world and articulate in sincere terms the will of all the Egyptian people, every single Egyptian: that the liquidation of the Palestinian cause without a just solution is beyond the realm of possibility, and in all cases it will never happen at the expense of Egypt, absolutely not," stressed Sisi.

Since the war on Gaza, former Israeli officials and Western politicians have circulated a proposal to displace Gazans to Sinai, which Cairo has repeatedly rejected.

Jordan's King Abdullah said in his opening speech that it is a "war crime" to force Palestinians to leave or internally displace them.

The monarch asserted that Jordan would work to stop this humanitarian disaster, pushing the entire region into the abyss.

The Israeli leadership must realize that there is no military solution to its security concerns, said the King, adding that it cannot continue to sideline the five million Palestinians living under its occupation with their legitimate rights denied.

He asserted: "Palestinians' lives are no less valuable than Israeli lives."

For his part, Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa affirmed in his speech that there would be no stability in the Middle East without securing the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.

He reiterated his country's categorical rejection of displacing the people of Gaza from their land and the land of their ancestors.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan affirmed the Kingdom's rejection of attempts to forcibly displace Palestinians. He denounced all forms of targeting of civilians, calling on the international community to force Israel to respect international laws.

The Kuwaiti Crown Prince, Sheikh Meshaal Ahmad Al-Sabah, rejected the forced displacement of the Palestinian people, warning of dangerous repercussions for the region and the world.

In his speech, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called for Israel to stop "its barbaric aggression" in Gaza and warned against attempts to push Palestinians out of the coastal territory.

"We will not leave, we will not leave, we will not leave, and we will remain in our land," he told the summit.

Abbas called on the UN Security Council to fulfill its responsibility to protect the Palestinian people and warned against any expulsions of Palestinians or their displacement from Jerusalem or the West Bank.

In Beirut, a group of Arab and Lebanese figures addressed a message to the Cairo Peace Summit, asking it to take a unified position rejecting the Israeli aggression and ensuring Tel Aviv's commitment and implementation of the relevant international resolutions.

They also called the summit to ensure the immediate provision of food and medical aid to Gaza, ending Israel's inhumane siege, and establishing an Arab and international fund to reconstruct Gaza and the destroyed areas.

More than 50 Arab and Lebanese personalities signed the letter, including former Lebanese Presidents Michel Sleiman and Amin Gemayel, former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, and former Progressive Socialist Party Chief Walid Jumblatt.

The prominent Arab signatories included Iyad Allawi, Taher al-Masry, Ali Abu al-Ragheb, al-Akhdar al-Ibrahimi, Amr Moussa, Nabil Fahmy, Mohammad al-Saqr, and Ali Nasser Mohamad.

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Arab World

Houthi Schools in Yemen Turned into Early Recruitment Camps

Yemeni students attend morning assembly at a school in Sanaa (EPA)
Yemeni students attend morning assembly at a school in Sanaa (EPA)
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Houthi Schools in Yemen Turned into Early Recruitment Camps

Yemeni students attend morning assembly at a school in Sanaa (EPA)
Yemeni students attend morning assembly at a school in Sanaa (EPA)

Since rising to power in 2014, Yemen’s Houthi movement, Ansar Allah, has systematically entrenched itself within the education system, rewriting curricula, renaming schools, and embedding ideological programs.

Classrooms have become a frontline in a broader struggle over identity and influence, and a pipeline for recruiting young people.

As public schools were sidelined and weakened, the group built a parallel model, recasting education as a controlled, camp-like environment. At its core is a network branded “Martyr of the Quran Schools,” positioned as an alternative system.

Seizure and spread

The shift has been enforced on the ground. Public school buildings have been taken over and rebranded. Kamran School in Ibb, for example, was renamed under the new label. Other schools have been given the names of Houthi figures, a move educators say aims to replace the state’s education identity.

The expansion has also reached mosques, including the Grand Mosque in Dhamar, Al-Shamsiya School, and Al-Firdous Mosque in Sanaa’s Sawaan district, which have been repurposed into centers under the same banner.

Within three years, the model has spread across Houthi-held areas, moving beyond major cities into districts.

The schools operate as closed boarding schools, providing housing, food, and supplies while imposing a tightly controlled ideological framework. The name itself invokes the group’s founder, Hussein Badr al-Din al-Houthi.

From headline to pattern

On March 3, 2024, Houthi authorities said 3,000 students had graduated from the network.

The figure appears routine. But it reflects just two years of intensive, closed education, from a project that only began to take shape in 2022, underscoring the speed of expansion.

Houthi media say the model started with one school in Sanaa, then one per province, before spreading rapidly, especially in the capital.

Accounts suggest similarities with the system used by Hezbollah in Lebanon. Houthi officials frame the schools as part of the founder’s vision to produce generations “aware of the Quran” and able to confront cultural challenges.

Blurred structures

The schools carry the formal name “Martyr of the Quran Secondary Schools for Sharia Sciences,” but key details, including their legal basis and oversight, remain unclear.

References to a “republican decree” establishing them have surfaced, but no confirmed evidence exists. Reports also refer to boards of directors and links to education officials, yet the structure remains opaque.

An entity described as the General Administration of Secondary Schools for Sharia Sciences, reportedly led by Houthi figure Mohammed al-Tawqi within the education ministry, appears to be connected, though its exact role is unclear.

The group’s “General Mobilization” apparatus, tasked with recruitment and ideological training, is a constant presence. It operates directly under Houthi leadership and coordinates with religious bodies, mirroring models used by Hezbollah and Iran-aligned groups elsewhere.

No oversight

A teacher in Sanaa province, speaking anonymously, said the schools operate outside formal educational supervision. Curricula and programs are not published, leaving their content difficult to assess.

Management, he said, is tied to Ansar Allah’s cultural and educational offices, not standard education authorities.

Funding is similarly opaque. The schools are backed by the group’s resources, including levies and compulsory contributions, with Houthi media pointing to the Zakat Authority and the General Mobilization body as sources.

Recruitment and incentives

Each academic year, aligned with the Islamic calendar adopted by the group, enrollment opens to students aged 15 to 17 who have completed basic education.

Admission requires interviews and tests that assess ideological commitment and readiness for a full two-year residential program.

The incentives are clear: full accommodation, meals, clothing, and free tuition, alongside intensive daily programs described as faith-based.

The schools currently focus on secondary education, but expansion is underway. Graduates receive certification from an affiliated religious academy and can pursue further study or join institutions, including the group's military colleges.

A controlled day

Details of the curriculum remain scarce, but officials describe a rigid schedule. According to a school supervisor in Sanaa, the day starts at 4 a.m. with prayers and Quran study, followed by classes, then extended ideological sessions in the afternoon and evening.

Students study the writings of Hussein al-Houthi, attend lectures, and watch group-produced content as part of sustained indoctrination.

The program runs for two years in a closed setting, largely cut off from families.

Teachers are also drawn in. With public sector salaries disrupted, many join these schools, where pay is available, but they must first undergo ideological training.

Beyond the classroom

Activities extend beyond formal lessons. Students visit sites linked to Houthi leaders, including the grave of Hussein al-Houthi and that of Saleh al-Sammad, framed as “faith-building” experiences.

Annual events, including “Martyr’s Day,” feature speeches, marches, and staged combat scenes, reinforcing themes of jihad and allegiance.

A former teacher said the activities follow a structured program designed to build loyalty before academic learning. Students are trained in public speaking, media presence, and simulated combat, and take part in security-style exercises.

Militarization of school life

Military elements are integrated into daily life, with exposure to weapons and organized student parades, such as one held in Raymah province in February 2025.

School environments reinforce the messaging, with classrooms filled with images, slogans, and ideological language tied to the group.

“It is not an educational institution,” one teacher said. “It is a place to shape students.”

Pressure and withdrawal

A student in Sanaa province, identified as Sadiq, said he left after his father learned of the school’s ideological focus.

He described a reduced academic schedule, with only three classes a day, while the rest of the time is devoted to lectures.

“After the lecture, if a student cannot answer questions, he is beaten,” he said, adding that many stopped attending under the pressure.

Parallel system, uncertain future

The rise of these schools has created a parallel education track alongside the recognized system, leaving students exposed if conditions shift.

Houthi media promote student statements dismissing other schools as lacking real knowledge, reflecting a broader effort to discredit formal education.

Graduates emerge shaped by a strong ideological framework, raising questions about their academic and professional prospects and the long-term impact on Yemen.

Education, once a space for critical thinking and opportunity, is being recast as a tool of mobilization, reshaping a generation in line with a narrow ideological project.

Arab World

Khamenei Message to Hezbollah Chief Reaffirms Ties, Sends Political Signals

A woman reacts as mourners gather on March 29, 2026, in the Choueifat area on the outskirts of Beirut during the funeral of journalists killed the previous day in an Israeli strike in south Lebanon. (Photo by ibrahim AMRO / AFP)
A woman reacts as mourners gather on March 29, 2026, in the Choueifat area on the outskirts of Beirut during the funeral of journalists killed the previous day in an Israeli strike in south Lebanon. (Photo by ibrahim AMRO / AFP)
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Khamenei Message to Hezbollah Chief Reaffirms Ties, Sends Political Signals

A woman reacts as mourners gather on March 29, 2026, in the Choueifat area on the outskirts of Beirut during the funeral of journalists killed the previous day in an Israeli strike in south Lebanon. (Photo by ibrahim AMRO / AFP)
A woman reacts as mourners gather on March 29, 2026, in the Choueifat area on the outskirts of Beirut during the funeral of journalists killed the previous day in an Israeli strike in south Lebanon. (Photo by ibrahim AMRO / AFP)

A message from Iran’s Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, to Hezbollah Secretary General Naim Qassem, thanking him for condolences over the death of his father, “leader of the Islamic Revolution,” came at a pivotal moment of regional escalation, giving it clear political weight and signaling messages to both domestic and foreign audiences.

The message reaffirms the depth of ties between Iran and Hezbollah, reinforces the group’s place within Tehran’s strategy, and signals a push to sustain open confrontation.

It made no reference to the Lebanese state, even as officials in Lebanon seek to “disassociate” from Iran after Hezbollah opened the southern front in support of Tehran. Authorities have taken steps in that direction, including expelling the Iranian ambassador and banning the group’s military wing.

“Reaffirming the obvious”

Lebanese ministerial sources described the message as “a reaffirmation of the obvious,” saying it “offers nothing new, but reinforces an established reality.”

“The relationship between Iran and Hezbollah has never been severed,” the sources told Asharq Al-Awsat, pointing to continued coordination and joint operations in the current war.

They said the message aligns fully with both sides’ declared positions, making it “a restatement of existing policy.” The core of the relationship, they added, is now explicit and entrenched, forming part of a fixed political landscape that goes beyond the traditional concept of the state.

One battle, with the US named as an enemy

Political analyst Ali al-Amine said the message underscores that Iran and Hezbollah see themselves as fighting a single battle against a common enemy, reflected in references to “steadfastness” against the United States and Israel.

He said the narrative, invoking Hezbollah and Iranian figures killed by Israel, reinforces a shared path and common fate in the war.

Al-Amine noted one sharper shift, the explicit placement of the United States alongside Israel as an equal enemy, highlighted in the closing reference to the “American-Zionist enemy.”

Khamenei told Qassem he is leading the movement at a defining moment in the resistance’s history, voicing confidence in his ability to defeat Israeli plans and restore pride to the Lebanese people.

He reaffirmed that Iran’s policy remains aligned with the path of the late imam and the “martyred leader,” pledging continued support for the resistance against Israel and the US.

Ignoring the Lebanese state, overlooking the cost

Al-Amine said the message pointedly omits any reference to the Lebanese state, addressing only the Lebanese people and speaking directly to Hezbollah.

“All the focus is on confrontation and the role of the party,” he said, with no acknowledgment of state authority or decision-making power.

He added that the message also overlooks the scale of destruction and displacement in Lebanon. More than one million people have been displaced, most from the Shiite community, including many Hezbollah supporters forced from their homes and scattered across the country.

Arab World

‘Iran Data’ Guides Israel to Hezbollah Leaders in Lebanon

Firefighters extinguish blazes in cars hit by an Israeli strike in Beirut’s Jnah area at dawn Wednesday, killing Hezbollah commander Youssef Hashem (AP)
Firefighters extinguish blazes in cars hit by an Israeli strike in Beirut’s Jnah area at dawn Wednesday, killing Hezbollah commander Youssef Hashem (AP)
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‘Iran Data’ Guides Israel to Hezbollah Leaders in Lebanon

Firefighters extinguish blazes in cars hit by an Israeli strike in Beirut’s Jnah area at dawn Wednesday, killing Hezbollah commander Youssef Hashem (AP)
Firefighters extinguish blazes in cars hit by an Israeli strike in Beirut’s Jnah area at dawn Wednesday, killing Hezbollah commander Youssef Hashem (AP)

The assassination of senior Hezbollah commander Youssef Hashem at dawn on Wednesday has laid bare signs of security breaches the group had previously said it had resolved before the latest war.

It has also exposed a mix of advanced techniques and what sources describe as Israeli data originating from Iran, alongside the persistent role of human intelligence in tracking targets, security sources and experts told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Since the war began on March 2, Israel has carried out a string of assassinations targeting Hezbollah and Revolutionary Guards commanders on Lebanese soil, most notably Hashem, who was killed in a missile strike on a parking garage in the Jnah area on the outskirts of Beirut.

Emerging security factors

Security sources tracking the killings and the pursuit of Hezbollah members said the major breach that existed before the previous war, which erupted in September 2024 and ended in November that year, appeared largely absent at the outset of the current conflict.

They attributed this to a set of changes. Hezbollah tightened security measures, shifted communication methods, evacuated headquarters and apartments, and abandoned communication devices altogether.

Newly appointed figures replacing assassinated leaders were largely unknown. Israel, meanwhile, was unable to rebuild the intelligence database it had compiled over the years in the short window between the two wars. It also diverted attention to gathering intelligence from Iran, reflecting a shift in priorities.

As a result, assassinations declined in Lebanon in the early phase of the war, despite limited breaches that still enabled targeted strikes on senior figures, including Hashem, whom Israel identified as Hezbollah’s southern region commander.

People stand near a damaged van beside scattered debris following an Israeli strike in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Non-Lebanese data sources

The sources said the most decisive factor in identifying targets lay in non-Lebanese data, pointing to an intelligence bank compiled from Iranian and Palestinian networks.

That pattern is reflected in the profiles and locations of those targeted.

Israel said on Monday it killed Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Rakin in a strike on an apartment in Beirut’s southern suburbs, describing him as the deputy commander of Unit 1800, responsible for supporting Palestinian militants and managing Hezbollah operations in countries neighboring Israel.

Israel also said it killed several Iranian figures in Lebanon, including two central commanders in the Lebanon Corps affiliated with the Quds Force of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards who were operating in Beirut, one of them in the Ramada Hotel in the Raouche area.

On March 11, the Israeli military said it had targeted Hisham Abdel Karim Yassin, describing him as a senior commander in Hezbollah’s communications unit and in the Palestine Corps affiliated with the Quds Force, the external arm of the Revolutionary Guards.

The sources said Israel’s Iran-based intelligence pool helped it track individuals inside Lebanon. Most targets maintained contact with Iranians, making them easier to trace through Iranian movements.

They added that Iranian figures killed early in the war were widely believed to have been carrying mobile phones, making them easier to locate and track, as were individuals linked to those handling the Palestinian file.

The pattern is not new. In the previous war, Hezbollah leaders were killed alongside Iranian figures, including a Revolutionary Guards official killed when Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah was assassinated, and another killed with Radwan force commanders on September 20, 2024, reinforcing indications that Israeli intelligence sources extend into Iran.

Another hypothesis suggests that Iranian, Palestinian, and Lebanese figures coordinating with them are compelled to use communication devices, exposing them to surveillance.

Foreign operatives also tend to move through populated areas with surveillance cameras, making them easier to track through camera infiltration.

The sources did not rule out human intelligence breaches, pointing to operatives working for Israel’s Mossad in Lebanon, Iran, or the Palestinian territories.

Separately, Israel said on Wednesday it killed the head of the engineering branch in the Lebanon Corps of the Quds Force in a strike in the Mahallat area in central Iran.

The Israeli military said its air force targeted engineer Mehdi Vafaei, who had led infrastructure projects in Lebanon and Syria for two decades.