Gaza Rafah EU mission gets Israeli backing to 2027

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Israeli authorities had agreed to extend the bloc's Rafah border assistance mission until the end of June 2027.

Kallas welcomed the decision Thursday, calling it an important step after months of diplomatic negotiations. She said Israel had also agreed to extend the EUPOL COPPS scheme, which provides training for Palestinian police forces and advice on rebuilding Gaza's judicial system.

The EU's civilian EUBAM mission was created in 2005 to help monitor the Rafah crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt. It was put on standby after Hamas took control of Gaza in 2007.

The Rafah crossing shut down entirely during Israel's war with Hamas, but has reopened on a limited basis since February with EU monitors. The EU said last week that more than 10,000 people had since passed between Gaza and Egypt.

The Israeli decision clears the way for EU states to formally extend the missions' mandates. EU states had agreed in June to prolong them until September this year.