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'

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.

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen on Sunday called for the release of three women Israeli hostages from Hamas captivity to serve as a new chapter for Israelis and Palestinians.

It is now time to see fully implementation of agreement, release of all hostages, reach permanent end to hostilities, says European Commission spokeswoman - Anadolu Ajansı

The European Union is putting in place additional investigatory measures as part of its current proceedings against X, which were launched in December 2023. The EU Commission said Friday it had asked the X platform to provide documentation regarding recent changes to its system by Feb 15.

Throngs of people eagerly waited on Thursday for more than 100 Palestinian prisoners who were released from Israel in exchange for hostages held in Gaza.

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 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 European Union agreed Monday to restart a monitoring mission at the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt as part of efforts to bolster the truce that halted Israel's war on the enclave.

Israel is letting hundreds of thousands of Palestinians return to heavily destroyed northern Gaza as part of a fragile ceasefire