Updated 2.40pm

Roberta Metsola has become the first EU leader to enter Gaza in a decade as a delicate ceasefire holds between Israel and Hamas. 

The European Parliament president travelled to the Kerem Shalom Border Crossing Point to visit humanitarian operations, according to a statement.

From there, she crossed into Gaza where she was able to witness humanitarian aid entering from the Israeli side. 

On Tuesday, Israel said the ceasefire would end if the Palestinian armed group did not return hostages by Saturday.

Hamas had said it was postponing releases, claiming Israel was failing to allow in the agreed amounts of humanitarian aid such as tents and shelters. 

But on Thursday Hamas said it is committed to implementing the ceasefire after talks with mediators in Egypt and Qatar.

Metsola's Gaza "at a crucial moment in time" is meant to highlight the EU's "critical role" in supporting humanitarian effots in Gaza, an EP statement said, as well as the EU's commitment to continue supporting the ceasefire and hostage exchange deal. 

The EU has provided almost half a billion Euro in humanitarian aid. 

Roberta Metsola witnessed Israeli aid entering Gaza at the Kerem Shalom Border Crossing Point. Photo: European Parliament

On Friday, Metsola will travel to the West Bank to meet with Palestinian leadership in Ramallah.

She will meet with Hussein al-Sheikh, Secretary-General of the Executive Committee of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation and with the 2024 Sakharov Prize Nominee, Reem Al Hajajra, Director of Women of the Sun.

It is part of a wider Middle East visit that includes Israel.

The ceasefire that went into effect on January 19 largely halted more than 15 months of fighting in the Gaza Strip and saw five groups of Israeli hostages freed in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians in Israeli custody.

On Thursday Metsola will also hold talks with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar and the Speaker of the Knesset in Jerusalem Amir Ohan. She will then travel to the Kerem Shalom Border Crossing Point to visit the humanitarian operations.

She will also visit the site of the Nova Festival in Re’im. It was here that Hamas militants massacred around 1,200 people on October 7, 2023 and took a further 200 people hostage. 

Israel's retaliation has killed at least 48,181 people in Gaza, the majority civilians.

During her visit, she will also meet with released hostages, their families and victims of the conflict.

She is set to underline Europe’s willingness to engage constructively to secure the current ceasefire and hostage deal, leading to a path to a sustainable peace in the region that ensures security for Israel and a real perspective to the Palestinian people.

She hopes that through her presence on the ground, she sends a "clear message that Europe is ready to engage constructively with all partners in the region".

Metsola will call on the international community to step up and increase its humanitarian aid to Gaza.

The visit comes after a show of support by Metsola to the ceasefire-hostage deal and pushing for an increase in humanitarian efforts.

In recent weeks, she held in-person meetings and telephone conversations with leaders from Israel, Palestine, Arab countries and US representatives.

She held talks in Cairo with the Egyptian President El-Sisi, met with King Abdullah II of Jordan, received the Palestinian Prime Minister in Brussels and spoke to the Israeli Foreign Minister as well as the Speaker of the US House of Representatives. 

In a resolution adopted on January 18 of last year, the European Parliament became the first European institution to formally call for the immediate release of all hostages, the dismantling of the terrorist organisation Hamas, the resumption of the two-state solution and the relaunch of the peace process.