European leaders have expressed hope that the first phase of the deal reached between Hamas and Israel on Wednesday could lead to prolonged peace.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the deal “must now be implemented to the letter,” adding: “This ceasefire opens the door to a permanent end to the war and to the improvement of the poor humanitarian situation in Gaza.”

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer welcomed the “long-overdue news” of the deal, and called for “a huge surge in humanitarian aid” to the battered enclave.

Starmer hailed the release of hostages who are expected to return home as part of Wednesday’s deal, who were “ripped from their homes on that day and held captive in unimaginable conditions ever since,” while paying tribute to those who will not make it home, “including the British people who were murdered by Hamas.”