EU welcomes Israeli green light to extend Gaza border mission

EU welcomes Israeli green light to extend Gaza border mission EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas on Thursday welcomed an Israeli decision to extend the mandate of the bloc's border assistance mission at the Rafah crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt and the occupied West Bank until mid-2027. Initially set up in 2005 to help monitor the key crossing, the civilian EUBAM mission was put on standby for nearly two decades. The Rafah crossing shut down entirely during Israel's war on Gaza, but has reopened on a limited basis since February, with monitors from the EU – which announced last week that more than 10,000 people had since passed between Gaza and Egypt.