Italy says monitoring mission, which was halted when Hamas seized control of Strip in 2007, 'was launched at the request of Israel and the PA'

NEW ADMINISTRATIVE CAPITAL, Egypt — Egypt’s chief diplomat on Thursday called on Israel and Hamas to implement a Gaza ceasefire plan “without any delay,” raising pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to accept the deal.

For the EU Border Assistance Mission in Rafah to effectively restart it needed a cessation of hostilities between terrorist organisation Hamas and Israel, which happened on 15 January when the two parties to the conflict signed a ceasefire, which then entered into force on 19 January.

The 27-nation bloc set up a civilian mission in 2005 to help monitor the crossing, but it was suspended two years later after the militant Islamist group Hamas took control of Gaza.

The European Commission included restrictions on sales of video games and joysticks to Russia in its 16th package of sanctions on Moscow, the proposal document showed.

The Council renewed the list of those subject to restrictive measures by virtue of Common Position 2001/931/CFSP on the application of specific measures to combat terrorism, and extended its humanitarian exception by two years.

The European Union is in talks to revive a civilian mission to monitor the border crossing between Gaza and Egypt at Rafah following the announcement of the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said.

Hamas has announced the names of the next four hostages it will release this weekend as part of a ceasefire deal with Israel. The truce is supposed to halt fighting

The European Union agreed to reactivate its border assistance mission at the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt, Kaja Kallas, the bloc’s top diplomat, said Monday.

The EU is prepared to redeploy a monitoring mission to the Rafah ... but that was suspended two years later after militant Islamists Hamas took control of Gaza. The comments came as Israel's security cabinet met Friday to vote on a Gaza ceasefire and ...