ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - US President Donald Trump and leaders from Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey signed the official document guaranteeing the much-vaunted Gaza peace deal on Monday in Egypt's Sharm El-Sheikh.

Trump said "the prayers of millions have been answered" with regard to the Gaza peace deal, adding that "nobody thought this could happen."

"It is a very simple expression, peace in the Middle East, and we have heard it for many years, but nobody thought it could ever get there, but now we are there," he added.

The summit was co-chaired by Trump and his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, with the presence of more than 20 world leaders who gathered to discuss the implementation of the US-backed peace initiative.

Trump unveiled a 20-point peace plan for Gaza in late September, detailing a proposal that would see the release of all Israeli hostages in Gaza, a phased Israeli military withdrawal, and an eventual transition period in which Hamas would be forced to disarm and an international stabilization force deployed in the Strip.

The deal has been hailed regionally and internationally as a major breakthrough aimed at ending the war.

In addition to Trump, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Egypt's Sisi, and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani signed the document.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani was one of the heads of state in attendance, meeting with myriad leaders present and stressing "the obligation of major countries, organizations, and Arab and international institutions to play their role in rebuilding Gaza and providing the basic requirements for Palestinian civilians," according to a statement from the premier's office.

Earlier in the day, Israel released 1,968 prisoners, mostly Palestinians, under the Gaza ceasefire agreement. Hamas also released all 20 of the last living hostages, the Israeli military said Monday.

During his speech, Sisi said that Egypt will host "an early recovery, reconstruction, and development conference" for the Gaza Strip.

For his part, Trump said, "The rebuilding is maybe going to be the easiest part. I think we have done a lot of the hardest part."

Gaza’s civil defense reported over half a million people returned to Gaza City by Saturday evening, a day after the ceasefire took effect.

Neither Israeli nor Hamas representatives were present at the summit. Sources told AFP that Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu was forced to back out of his attendance due to other state leaders not wanting him there.

During his speech, Trump expressed hope that additional Arab states would join the Abraham Accords, thus normalizing ties with Israel. "A lot of people, even today, they're talking about joining up [to the Abraham Accords]... So many people have talked to me about that."

The US president struck a lighthearted tone when thanking Iraq for its attendance at the summit, telling the crowd: "We have Iraq, with lots of oil. They have so much oil they don't know what to do with it. That's a big problem; when you have so much oil, you have no idea what to do with it."

"I want to express my tremendous gratitude to the Arab and Muslim nations that helped make this incredible breakthrough possible," Trump added.

The agreement comes after two years of sustained conflict in the region. According to Gaza's health ministry, the Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip has resulted in the deaths of over 67,000 people, the majority of whom are civilians.

The high casualty count has led to growing international backlash, including a torrent of recent recognition of Palestinian statehood by several Western countries, which has put increasing pressure on Israel and its allies to bring an end to the hostilities.