EUROPEAN officials have agreed to a new deal with Israel to allow desperately needed food and fuel into Gaza, the European Union’s (EU) foreign policy chief has said.
The announcement came as prospects for a ceasefire agreement in the near term appeared to be fading as Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepared to leave Washington after meetings with US president Donald Trump.
Still, US officials held out hope that restarting high-level negotiations – mediated by Egypt and Qatar and including White House envoy Steve Witkoff – could bring progress.
“We’re closer than we’ve been in quite a while and we’re hopeful, but we also recognise there’s still some challenges in the way,” US secretary of state Marco Rubio told reporters during a stop in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Thursday’s agreement could result in “more crossings open, aid and food trucks entering Gaza, repair of vital infrastructure and protection of aid workers”, said Kaja Kallas, the 27-member EU’s top diplomat.
“We count on Israel to implement every measure agreed,” she said in a post on social media.
Aid groups say Israeli military restrictions and recurring violence have made it difficult to deliver assistance in Gaza.
Experts have warned that the territory is at risk of famine, 21 months into Israel's brutal assault on Gaza.
Kallas said the deal would reactivate aid corridors from Jordan and Egypt and reopen community bakeries and kitchens across Gaza.
She said measures would be taken to prevent Hamas from diverting aid.
Israel has long accused Hamas of stealing aid and selling it to finance militant activities.
The United Nations says there is no evidence for widespread diversion.
Israeli foreign minister Gideon Saar acknowledged the deal while attending a conference in Vienna, saying it came “following our dialogue with the EU”.
He said the deal includes “more trucks, more crossings and more routes for the humanitarian efforts”.
Neither Saar nor Kallas said whether the aid would go through the UN-run system or an alternative US- and Israeli-backed mechanism that has been marred by violence and controversy.
