Palestinian Authority president Mahmud Abbas will attend the summit on Gaza that will take place in Egypt later today, French President Emmanuel Macron has said, AFP reports.

Abbas is a rival of Hamas, whose attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 sparked Israel’s relentless bombing in Gaza for two years. Neither Israel nor Hamas will be represented at the summit.

Abbas, who leads the Palestinian Authority, “will be present at this summit”, Macron said.

“It’s a very good sign… It’s a recognition of the role the Palestinian Authority has to play as a legitimate entity,” he said.

“On the questions of governance, we will have a particular role to be by the side of the Palestinian Authority and to ensure it plays its part, and also that it conducts reforms for the day after,” Macron said of France.