The deal also entails the phased release of Israeli hostages.
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European leaders have welcomed the news of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas following fifteen months of fighting in Gaza. The deal also entails the phased release of Israeli hostages.
Leaders across Europe welcomed the announcement of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Islamist militant group Hamas.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen welcomed the deal, saying it “brings hope to an entire region.”
“Both parties must fully implement this agreement as a stepping stone toward lasting stability in the region and a diplomatic resolution of the conflict,” she said.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz welcomed the news, saying that the agreement must be implemented “to the letter,” calling for the immediate release of hostages held by Hamas and its allies in Gaza.
German Foreign Secretary Annalena Baerbock echoed similar sentiments, calling for both sides to “ensure that this opportunity is seized.”British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, too, welcomed the deal.
“After months of devastating bloodshed and countless lives lost, this is the long-overdue news that the Israeli and Palestinian people have desperately been waiting for,” Starmer said in a statement, adding that the international community’s attention should now turn to securing a “permanently better future for the Israeli and Palestinian people, grounded in a two-state solution.”Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called the ceasefire an “important opportunity to increase” humanitarian aid to Gaza.
“Italy is ready to play its part, together with its European and international partners,” Meloni said in a statement, adding that her country supports a two-state solution.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez welcomed the news, saying the ceasefire agreement “represents an indispensable step on the road to a two-state solution and a just peace.”
