Leaders across Europe welcomed the announcement of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Islamic terrorist group Hamas.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen welcomed the agreement, saying it “brings hope to the entire region.”
“Both sides should fully implement this agreement as a step towards lasting stability in the region and diplomatic resolution of the conflict,” he said.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz welcomed the news, saying the agreement should be implemented in letter and spirit, calling for the immediate release of hostages held by Hamas and its allies in Gaza.
German Foreign Secretary Annalena Baerbock expressed similar sentiments and called on both sides to “ensure that this opportunity is seized.”
UK’s Starmer calls for future based on two-state solution
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also welcomed the agreement.
“After months of devastating bloodshed and countless lives lost, this is the long-awaited news that Israelis and Palestinians have been waiting for,” Starmer said in a statement. “A lastingly better future for the Israeli and Palestinian people, based on a two-state solution.”
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni described the ceasefire as an “important opportunity” to increase humanitarian aid to Gaza.
“Italy is ready to play its role together with its European and international partners,” Meloni said in a statement. He said his country supports a two-state solution.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez welcomed the news, saying the ceasefire agreement “represents an inevitable step on the path to a two-state solution and a just peace.”
Biden calls truce talks ‘the toughest negotiations’ of his career
Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire deal on October 7, 2023, after more than 15 months of fighting that began due to the Palestinian group’s terrorist attack on southern Israel.
President Joe Biden, who described the ceasefire talks as “one of the toughest negotiations ever”, laid out the broad outlines of the agreement at a news conference.
The deal was brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the US, with painstaking negotiations taking place over several weeks in the Qatari capital Doha.
More than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli offensive in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in the enclave. 1,200 people were killed in Hamas attack on Israel.
The ceasefire is expected to take effect at 12:15 a.m. local time (1115 CET) on Sunday if Israel’s Cabinet and Supreme Court allow it to go ahead.
ftm/rm (Reuters, AP)