ISTANBUL

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas on Monday voiced the bloc's readiness to "do its part" for the Gaza ceasefire plan and vowed to restart a civilian mission to monitor the border crossing between Gaza and Egypt.

"The peace plan requires strong international backing to succeed. The EU stands ready to do its part. On Wednesday, it will restart a civilian mission to monitor the border crossing between Gaza and Egypt," Kallas said through the US social media company X.

Stressing that securing peace in Gaza could be "extraordinarily complex," she noted that the civilian mission can play an "important role" in supporting the ceasefire.

"Today marks a rare moment of hope in the Middle East. The release of hostages is a major success for diplomacy and a crucial milestone toward peace. (US) President (Donald) Trump made this breakthrough possible," Kallas added.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) announced on Monday morning the start of the process of releasing Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip as part of a ceasefire agreement.

The Israeli army confirmed on X that seven hostages had been released and were being escorted to Israel by the army and Shin Bet security agency forces.

According to Israeli Channel 12, seven hostages were handed over to ICRC teams.

Trump announced Wednesday that Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas had agreed to the first phase of his 20-point plan aimed at implementing a ceasefire in Gaza. The plan includes the release of all Israeli captives in exchange for around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip. The first phase took effect on Friday.

Phase two of the plan envisions the creation of a new governing body in Gaza, excluding Hamas, the deployment of a multinational force and the disarmament of Hamas.

Since October 2023, Israeli attacks have killed more than 67,600 Palestinians in Gaza, most of them women and children, leaving the enclave largely uninhabitable.