National News

G7 summit: EU's Von der Leyen backs US peace plan for Gaza

Jun 14, 2024

Apulia [Italy], June 14: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Thursday offered the commission's support for the peace plan for the Gaza Strip put forward by US President Joe Biden. "President Biden's three-phase plan deserves our full support. We need an immediate ceasefire, the release of the hostages, an enduring end to this crisis," Von der Leyen said speaking at the G7 summit in Bari in Italy. "We are ready to play our part with quick and effective action for recovery and reconstruction leading to a two State solution," she added. The plan put forward by Biden at the end of May provides in the first phase for a full ceasefire lasting six weeks, during which a group of hostages will be released in return for the release of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons. The second phase foresees a permanent end to hostilities and the release of the remaining hostages. The reconstruction of the Gaza Strip will begin under the third phase. The war in Gaza was unleashed by the unprecedented attack by Palestinian Islamist Hamas on October 7 on Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking another 250 as hostages. Around 120 are still in the hands of Hamas, but it is feared that many are already dead. Israel responded to the attack with a massive military offensive on Gaza, in which at least 37,232 people have been killed and many more thousands injured, according to the Hamas authorities. Around 85% of the population in Gaza, 1.9 million people, has been forcibly displaced in the wake of the Israeli attacks, according to UN figures. (dpa)