ISTANBUL

European leaders on Monday welcomed the release of Israeli hostages while reiterating their support for the Gaza ceasefire plan.

"Another step towards peace. Our task is to consolidate conditions for peace to endure and strengthen. Italy will contribute to 'two peoples, two States solution' so that both peoples can find peace in respect and security," Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said through the US social media company X.

Stressing that an "important step" has been taken, Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof urged Israel to also "uphold its side of the deal" by ensuring more aid to the Gaza Strip.

"Switzerland calls on all parties to fully honour their commitments, including the release (return) of (the bodies of) all deceased hostages, the delivery of unhindered humanitarian aid, and a lasting cessation of hostilities," the Swiss Foreign Ministry said on X, welcoming the release of hostages.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer thanked the US, Egypt, Qatar, and Türkiye for their diplomatic efforts in the ceasefire process.

"I celebrate the release of 20 Israeli hostages and that, finally, their loved ones can embrace them. I also celebrate the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza, which must arrive on a massive scale to end the famine and address basic needs. We work for a definitive peace," Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said on X.

French President Emmanuel Macron noted that "peace becomes possible" for the region with the release of hostages, vowing to be involved in every stage of the ceasefire plan.

US President Donald Trump announced last week that Israel and Hamas had agreed to the first phase of a plan he laid out Sept. 29 to bring a ceasefire to Gaza, release all Israeli captives in exchange for around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, and a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the entire Gaza Strip. The first phase of the deal came into force on Friday.

Phase two of the plan calls for the establishment of a new governing mechanism in Gaza, without Hamas’ participation, the formation of a multinational force, and the disarmament of Hamas.

Since October 2023, Israeli attacks have killed more than 67,800 Palestinians in Gaza, most of them women and children, leaving the enclave largely uninhabitable.