EU stresses need for implementation of Gaza ceasefire deal without delay

BRUSSELS

It is now time to implement the Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal without any delay, an EU official said on Friday.

During her daily press briefing, Anitta Hipper, spokeswoman of European Commission for Foreign Affairs, touched on the deal, agreed upon by Israel and Hamas on Wednesday.

Asked by Anadolu about remarks by Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa regarding the eight-month delay to reach the deal, Hipper welcomed the Gaza truce and thanked mediators.

During his talks in Brussels on Thursday, Mustafa said that too many lives had been lost due to the eight-month delay as the deal was originally proposed by US President Joe Biden last May.

It is now crucial that the agreement is fully implemented, all hostages are released and a permanent end to hostilities is achieved, Hipper said.

In response to a question about EU-Israel communication on the implementation of the deal, the spokeswoman said EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas discussed it with Mustafa and also had a phone talk with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar early Friday.

Qatar on Wednesday announced that along with Egypt and the US as mediators, the ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel had been approved. The initial phase starting Sunday and lasting 42 days, includes the release of 33 Israeli detainees in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

The Israeli security cabinet has approved the deal, the prime minister’s office said on Friday, paving the way for the government’s final approval.

Israel has killed more than 46,000 people in Gaza since the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks, displaced most of the population and left much of the enclave in ruins. Despite the truce, Israeli attacks on Gaza have continued, according to local authorities.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.