The leaders of Britain, France and Germany on Friday urged the United Nations Security Council to throw its weight behind the United States-backed peace plan for Gaza.
“We agree that the UN Security Council should give its full backing to the plan and support its implementation,” the so-called E3 group of nations said in a statement, as a ceasefire kicked in and Israel started pulling back troops in Gaza.
“We pay tribute to President Trump’s leadership on the issue, to the diplomatic efforts of the mediators, Egypt, Qatar and Turkiye (Turkey), and to the vital support from the wider region to secure the agreement,” the statement added.
Under the first phase of the truce, pushed by US President Donald Trump, Israel said it had ceased fire and pulled back troops, kicking off a 72-hour deadline for Hamas to release the remaining hostages held in Gaza.
Israel also published a list of 250 Palestinian prisoners it plans to release, as long columns of Gazans began trekking back towards the north of the territory, devastated by two years of war and grappling with a humanitarian crisis.
London, Paris and Berlin called for “substantive humanitarian aid packages through UN agencies” to be delivered “as soon as the ceasefire enters into effect”.
The UN has said it has a 60-day plan ready to rush aid into Gaza once the ceasefire is declared.
The next phase of the peace plan faces various unresolved issues, including Hamas’s disarmament and a proposal for Trump to head a transitional authority for Gaza.
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© Agence France-Presse
