Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will attend a Gaza peace summit to be held in Egypt's Red Sea resort city of Sharm El-Sheikh on Monday, according to Al Arabiya on Sunday.
But the Israeli Prime Minister's Office said on Sunday that its representatives will not attend the summit.
The Sharm El-Sheikh summit will finalize an agreement between Israel and Hamas to end the war in Gaza, the Egyptian presidency announced in a statement on Saturday.
The meeting will be co-chaired by Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi and U.S. President Donald Trump, with the participation of leaders from more than 20 countries, the statement said.
On Monday local time, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi announced that Iran would not attend the meeting.
Araghchi expressed gratitude for the invitation from Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and emphasized that Iran supports resolving disputes through diplomatic means, but Iran "cannot engage with counterparts who have attacked the Iranian people and continue to threaten and sanction us."
The ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas came into effect on Friday, following three days of intensive negotiations in Sharm El Sheikh between the two sides mediated by Egypt, Qatar, Türkiye and the United States.
The first phase of the plan includes Israeli troop withdrawals from Gaza City, Rafah, Khan Younis, and the north, the opening of five crossings for aid, and the release of hostages and prisoners.
More than two years of Israeli military operations have devastated Gaza, killing over 67,000 people and triggering famine, according to Gaza's health authorities.
Palestinian president to attend Gaza peace summit in Egypt
The torch relay for the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games began on Saturday morning in Rome, marking the start of a two-month journey ahead of next year's opening ceremony.
The launch ceremony was held at the Stadio dei Marmi, an open-air arena lined with Roman-style statues next to Rome's Olympic Stadium.
At around 09:50, Giancarlo Peris, the final torchbearer of the 1960 Rome Games, brought the flame onto the launch stage. A torch was lit with the flame, and Giovanni Malago, president of the Milan-Cortina 2026 organizing committee, lit the cauldron with it.
The first torchbearer, Italy's Olympic champion Gregorio Paltrinieri, lit the relay torch from the cauldron and then ran a half-lap around the stadium to cheers from spectators, officially starting the relay.
Italian fencer Elisa Di Francisca and high jump Olympic champion Gianmarco Tamberi followed as the second and third torchbearers and completed their relay segments inside the stadium. Tamberi performed a torch kiss with the next runner, Achille Polonara, who carried the flame out of the stadium to begin the route through the city.
The relay will traverse 12,000 kilometers over 60 days across Italy, pass through more than 300 municipalities and feature celebrations in 60 cities, reach all 110 Italian provinces, and light up UNESCO sites along the route.
More than 10,000 torchbearers from all walks of life will take part in the relay, including figures from sectors of sports, culture, film and civil society.
The flame will see Christmas in Naples, New Year in Bari, and return to Cortina d'Ampezzo on January 26, 2026, the 70th anniversary of the 1956 Winter Games opening ceremony. The relay will conclude on February 6 at Milan's San Siro Stadium.
Andrea Varnier, CEO of the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games' organizing committee, said the torch relay will strengthen the spirit of peace and hope for humanity.
"ur torch will pass through all cultural heritage sites. So along the way, we'll see both our nation's historical landmarks as well as natural landscapes. But what matters most are the people who embrace the torch as a symbol of peace and hope. Athletes and ordinary citizens carrying the Winter Olympics torch will carry the spirit all the way to Milan," he said.
Torch relay for Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Games starts in Rome
