The European Union plans to deploy a civilian mission at the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip starting in February.
This announcement came from the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, following a meeting of EU foreign ministers on Wednesday.
Kallas stated that the ministers had agreed to deploy the EU Border Assistance Mission beginning in February. She confirmed that the EU had received invitations from both the Palestinian Authority and Israel, as well as approval from Egypt regarding this matter.
There has been no immediate comment from the mentioned countries regarding the EU official’s statement.
Meanwhile, European Commission spokesperson for foreign affairs, Anwar al-Anani, stated, “At the request of Israel and the Palestinians, and with Egypt’s approval, the EU will reactivate its presence at the Rafah crossing under the 2005 agreement.”
He added that “the EU’s civilian mission will support Palestinian border officials and monitor operations to ensure the safe reopening of the crossing.”
Al-Anani confirmed that “the crossing will reopen in early February to transfer wounded individuals from Gaza for treatment. This mission will continue during the first phase of the ceasefire agreement, allowing hundreds of people to leave Gaza. Some details are still being finalized.”
Notably, the EU Border Assistance Mission was first launched on November 24, 2005, following Israel’s unilateral disengagement from Gaza. However, its operations ended on June 13, 2007, when Hamas took control of Gaza.
