Brussels, Belgium. The European Commission and more than a dozen countries launched the Team Gaza Initiative on Monday, committing €883.6 million ($1 billion) for recovery projects in Gaza.
The initiative will support the restoration of water and sanitation services, debris removal and the re-establishment of health systems, the Commission said.
Donor participation
Spain, Denmark, Britain, Germany, Norway, Finland, Italy, the Netherlands, France, Japan, Switzerland, Sweden and Belgium are participating alongside the European Commission, the World Bank and the European Investment Bank.
Australia and Canada are also expected to join. The Commission did not provide a breakdown of contributions by partner.
Recovery needs
Gaza remains heavily damaged more than two and a half years after the conflict was triggered by Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israel. A fragile ceasefire has been in place since last October.
The United Nations has estimated that rebuilding Gaza will cost about $70 billion. Israel’s aerial and ground campaign displaced nearly all of Gaza’s population of about 2 million, with many people living in tents or damaged buildings in a reduced coastal area governed by Hamas.
Israeli control
Israeli troops control nearly 70% of Gaza and patrol an area Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has described as a buffer zone intended to deter Hamas attacks. Netanyahu has said Israel will not withdraw from the territory.
“Our objective is clear: to help build hope, resilience and a better future for the Palestinian people,” European Commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka Suica said.