EU to Resume Rafah Border Monitoring Mission in Support of Gaza Ceasefire Deal
The European Union will resume on Wednesday its civilian mission to monitor the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt in support of the recently agreed ceasefire, the bloc’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, announced on Monday. “The EU stands ready to do its part,” Kallas posted on X, following Hamas’ release of the first group of Zionist detainees under the ceasefire agreement. “This mission can play an important role in supporting the ceasefire,” she added.
The 27-member bloc first established the European Union Border Assistance Mission (EUBAM) at Rafah in 2005 to oversee operations at the crossing, but the mission was suspended two years later after Hamas took control of Gaza. The EUBAM mission, which includes police officers from Italy, Spain, and France, provides a neutral, third-party presence at the strategic border point. It was briefly redeployed in January 2025 before being suspended again in March.
Kallas praised US President Donald Trump for his role in achieving this “crucial milestone towards peace,” saying the American leader “made this breakthrough possible.” In a separate statement, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described Monday’s Gaza summit in Sharm el-Sheikh—which finalized the agreement to end the war—as “a historic milestone.” She affirmed that the EU “fully supports the peace plan brokered by the United States, Qatar, Egypt, and Turkiye,” and pledged that the bloc stands ready “to contribute to its success with all tools at our disposal,” including governance support and reforms to the Palestinian Authority. The EU is represented at the summit by European Council President Antonio Costa.
