Brussels (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – The European Union hails the Gaza ceasefire agreement, rescuing hostages and helping to assuage humanitarian agony.
The European Union’s High Representative Kaja Kallas welcomed a ceasefire and the hostage deal from Gaza on behalf of the European Union. It said in its statement,
“The EU warmly welcomes the agreement on the ceasefire in Gaza, enabling the phased release of the hostages – bringing the terrible ordeal experienced for more than 15 months to an end, ending hostilities, and alleviating the humanitarian suffering in Gaza.”
It further said,
“We are relieved that the hostages, including several EU nationals, will finally be reunited with their loved ones and that much-need humanitarian aid will reach civilians in Gaza. The deal must be fully implemented to allow all the hostages to be released and to ensure a permanent end to hostilities.”
It also mentioned the expression of gratitude by the US, Egypt, and Qatar for the cease-fire negotiations in the statement that finally took place while being continually urged for a significant achievement, thus having good side effects across the Middle East. It further stated full and unconditional access to the humanitarian aid intended for the Gaza Strip to help disperse the available aid appropriately across the recipients; this could also be distributed via UN agencies such as UNRWA.
EU’s support for Gaza:
Recently, the EU has pledged to offer a humanitarian aid package worth €120 million to Gaza, with an aim at tackling urgent needs in food, water, shelter, and healthcare. This EU pledge to the people of Gaza comes as an affirmation of its realization of the extreme humanitarian crisis prevailing in the region, with the majority of its population being displaced and at extreme hunger levels.
Apart from emergency assistance, the EU would provide support to Gaza for reconstruction, especially long-term rebuilding, in view of its destroyed infrastructure resulting from years of fighting. The EU plans to collaborate with other international actors, including those from the Gulf region, after the establishment of a stable political context for reconstruction purposes.
