European leaders welcome Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal
January 16, 2025
Leaders across Europe welcomed the announcement of a ceasefire deal between Israel and the 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 the agreement must be implemented "to the letter" and called 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."
Macron says ceasefire deal must be 'respected'
French President Emmanuel Macron stressed the importance of ensuring that the ceasefire deal holds, writing: "The agreement must be respected. The hostages, freed. The Gazans, rescued. A political solution must be found."
Macron also emphasized the relief the news brings for the people of Gaza and the Israeli hostages and their families.
UK's Starmer calls for a future grounded in a two-state solution
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."
Biden calls truce talks 'toughest negotiations' of his career
Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire agreement after more than 15 months of fighting that was triggered by the Palestinian group's terrorist attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023.
President Joe Biden, who described the ceasefire talks as "one of the toughest negotiations" he has ever experienced, laid out the broad outline of the deal in a press conference.
The deal was brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the US, with painstaking negotiations having been held in Qatari capital, Doha, for several weeks now.
More than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli offensive in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry in the enclave. Hamas' attack on Israel killed 1,200 people.
The ceasefire is expected to take effect on Sunday at 12:15 p.m. local time (1115 CET) if Israel's Cabinet and Supreme Court allow it to proceed.
ftm/rm (Reuters, AP)