NNA - The EU said on Friday it had restarted its civilian mission to monitor the border crossing between Gaza and Egypt at the Rafah border crossing.

"It will support Palestinian border personnel and allow the transfer of individuals out of Gaza, including those who need medical care," the bloc's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on X.

The opening comes after EU foreign ministers had given their green light for the reactivation of EU-supervised checks at the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt earlier this week, with the prospect of an early February start.

A previously operating civilian EU mission to help monitor the Rafah crossing was agreed in 2005, but suspended in June 2007 after Hamas’ takeover of the Gaza Strip.

A deal on the redeployment of the non-armed mission, whose task is to police the border and allow the safe transit of goods and people, was struck with the backing of Egypt, Israel and the Palestinian Authority, which partially governs the occupied West Bank.

In its standby mode, the mission has normally 10 international and eight local staff.

With the new mandate, the workforce is now expected to be beefed up, with France, Italy and Spain contributing officers. Germany has said it was in consultations to send a contingent to the mission.

The Rafah border crossing, a vital route for humanitarian aid to enter Gaza, has been closed since May 2024 after Israel’s ground offensive.

The EU has so far had a minimal role in diplomatic efforts to secure a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Efforts have been led by regional partners such as Qatar and Egypt, and the United States.--agencies

=================R.H.