EU launches $1 billion fund to rebuild Gaza

The European Commission announced the launch of the “Team Gaza Initiative”, a €883.6 million (about $1 billion) fund aimed at early‑recovery projects in the Gaza Strip. The package, presented at a donor conference in Brussels, will be used to restore water and sanitation services, clear debris, rebuild health facilities, and revive energy, agriculture and food systems. The initiative brings together more than a dozen European Union member states – Spain, Denmark, the United Kingdom, Germany, Norway, Finland, Italy, the Netherlands, France, Belgium, Sweden, Switzerland – as well as Japan, the European Investment Bank and the World Bank, with Australia and Canada expected to join. EU Commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka Suica said, “Our objective is clear: to help build hope, resilience and a better future for the Palestinian people.” The fund is coordinated through the donor group for Palestine and is intended to complement longer‑term reconstruction needs estimated at €71 billion over the next decade. The EU stressed that ground conditions – secure access, humanitarian corridors and the disarmament of Hamas – are essential for the aid to reach Gaza’s population.