European Council President Antonio Costa said Monday that the EU stands ready to play an active role in implementing the Gaza cease-fire plan and to join the Board of Peace to help oversee transitional governance, recovery, and reconstruction.
Costa expressed gratitude to U.S. President Donald Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi for their leadership, following his participation in the Sharm El-Sheikh peace summit.
He commended Trump and all mediators for their role in the plan, which he said reflects the international community's efforts toward a cease-fire, a two-state solution, and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians.
"The European Union is fully committed to actively engage with all parties involved on the implementation of this Peace Plan. We stand ready to participate in the International Peace Board and to support all processes - transitional governance, recovery and reconstruction," he said.
Costa stressed that the EU will immediately expand its humanitarian assistance "as soon as conditions allow," reaffirming that the bloc remains the largest humanitarian donor to the Palestinians.
On security, Costa said the EU will contribute to Gaza's stabilization and reconstruction through its missions, European Union Border Assistance Mission (EUBAM) in Rafah and EU Police Mission for the Palestinian Territories (EUPOL COPPS), which are ready to resume their roles in border security, capacity-building, and police training.
"The road towards peace based on the two-State solution, with Israel and a State of Palestine living side-by-side in peace and security, free of terrorism, is still long. But today we are united here in our pledge to making it happen," he said.
Last week, Trump announced that Israel and Hamas had agreed to the first phase of a plan he laid out Sept. 29 to bring a cease-fire to Gaza, release all Israeli captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, and a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the entire Gaza Strip. The first phase of the deal came into force on Friday.
Phase two of the plan calls for the establishment of a new governing mechanism in Gaza, the formation of a multinational force, and the disarmament of Hamas.
Earlier Monday, the release of Palestinians imprisoned in Israeli jails began after Hamas freed all 20 living Israeli captives held in the Gaza Strip.
Since October 2023, Israeli attacks have killed over 67,800 Palestinians in the enclave, most of them women and children, and rendered it largely uninhabitable.
