In 2005, the EU set up a civilian mission in Rafah at the only border crossing between Egypt and Gaza, but it operated for only a year and a half.
BRUSSELS, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- The European Union will continue to provide humanitarian aid to Gaza and is currently in discussions to redeploy a mission to monitor the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas announced on Friday.
At a press conference following a meeting with Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa in Brussels, Kallas, EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, said: "We are in discussions about redeploying our monitoring mission to Rafah to ensure stability at the border."
She added that the redeployment would require invitations from Israel and the Palestinian Authority as well as a cooperation agreement with Egypt. The initiative came two days after Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire-for-hostages deal, set to take effect on Sunday.
In 2005, the EU set up a civilian mission in Rafah at the only border crossing between Egypt and Gaza, but the mission operated for only a year and a half.
Kallas also confirmed that the EU would support Gaza through humanitarian aid, reconstruction, and recovery efforts, highlighting a newly committed 120 million euros (123.5 million U.S. dollars) aid package. She also welcomed the ceasefire agreement, noting "this agreement can be a step towards lasting peace, but we all know there are many difficult challenges ahead."