Three Qatari diplomats were killed and two others injured in a car crash near Egypt’s Red Sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh, officials confirmed on Saturday.
According to Egyptian health authorities, the diplomats’ vehicle overturned about 50 kilometres from Sharm el-Sheikh while on route to attend an international peace summit marking the recently brokered Gaza ceasefire.
The victims were identified by Qatar’s Embassy in Cairo as Saud bin Thamer Al Thani, Abdullah Al-Ghanem Al-Khayarin, and Hassan Jaber Al-Jaber, all members of the Amiri Diwan, the office of Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. Two others, Abdullah Issa Al-Kuwari and Mohammed Abdulaziz Al-Buainain, were injured and transferred to Sharm el-Sheikh International Hospital for treatment.
In a statement on X, the embassy described the incident as a “tragic traffic accident” and extended its condolences to the families of the deceased, praying for their mercy and the speedy recovery of the injured.
It also thanked Egyptian authorities “for their cooperation, care, and attention in following up on the incident and providing the necessary facilitation.” The bodies of the deceased and the injured diplomats are expected to be flown to Doha aboard a Qatari plane.
Gaza peace summit
Egypt’s state-run Al-Qahera News reported that the crash was caused by a steering wheel malfunction. The diplomats were part of Qatar’s protocol delegation heading to Sharm el-Sheikh ahead of a high-level summit co-chaired by Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi and US President Donald Trump.
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The meeting, set for Monday, will gather over 20 world leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, and UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
The summit seeks to “end the war in the Gaza Strip, enhance efforts to bring peace and stability to the Middle East, and usher in a new phase of regional security and stability,” according to an Egyptian presidential statement.
It follows the announcement by President Trump that Israel and Hamas had agreed to the first phase of his 20-point peace plan, which includes a ceasefire, the release of Israeli captives in exchange for around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, and the gradual withdrawal of occupying Israeli forces from Gaza.
A second phase of the plan envisions a new governing mechanism in Gaza without Hamas, the creation of a joint security force of Palestinians and troops from Arab and Muslim countries, and the disarmament of Hamas.
Since October 2023, Israel’s genocidal war has killed over 67,600 Palestinians in Gaza, mostly women and children, leaving the enclave devastated and largely uninhabitable.
Qatar, alongside Egypt, the US and Turkey, has played a central role in mediating the ceasefire and organising the upcoming summit aimed at solidifying a lasting peace agreement.
