Hostage deal and temporary ceasefire in Gaza agreed between Israel and Hamas a welcome first step towards de-escalation

The Renew Europe Group in the European Parliament welcomes the agreement between Israel and the terrorist organisation Hamas on the temporary cease-fire in Gaza and the release of 50 hostages by Hamas.

During today’s plenary debate on the humanitarian situation in Gaza, our political Group repeated the need for the release of hostages and for an immediate humanitarian truce leading to a ceasefire and the prospects for peace and security in the Middle East. Renew Europe insisted that both Israel and Palestine need to be brought to the table to build a long lasting peace.

MEP Hilde Vautmans (Open Vld, Belgium), Renew Europe Group’s coordinator in the Foreign Affairs Committee, said:

“This must be a first step towards de-escalation that allows more urgent humanitarian aid to reach the population in Gaza. The humanitarian nightmare in Gaza is a wake-up call for Europe. We have talked about the two-state solution without bringing it any closer. The Israeli population lives under the fear of the next attack and the Palestinian population have not had any prospect for a better future.

A political solution is the only option to break the vicious cycle of hatred and violence and the only chance for the Palestinian and Israeli population to live in peace. It is Europe´s geopolitical and moral duty to bring peace where there is violence today.”