The European Commission on Monday launched a new initiative backed by countries including Belgium to support the reconstruction of Gaza, announcing €883.6 million to help restore essential infrastructure destroyed in Israeli attacks.
The funding will support projects to rebuild water and sewage systems, clear rubble, and restore healthcare, energy, agriculture and food supply services.
"It is now essential that conditions on the ground allow our aid to reach the people of Gaza," said Dubravka Suica, the European Commissioner for the Mediterranean.
Her colleague responsible for crisis management, Hadja Lahbib, described it as “unacceptable” that EU aid had repeatedly been unable to reach the Gaza Strip.
"Delivering aid to starving populations is a legal obligation under international humanitarian law; it can never be used as a bargaining chip," insisted the Belgian Commissioner, denouncing "a clear lack of political will and commitment on the part of the Israeli authorities".
Complement Peace Council
The initiative, called Team Gaza, is being presented as a coordination platform for reconstruction efforts in Gaza.
It is intended to help facilitate contacts with Israel and to complement work being carried out within the controversial Peace Council, launched by US President Donald Trump.
Participants include Belgium, Spain, Denmark, the United Kingdom, Germany, Norway, Finland, Italy, the Netherlands, France, Japan, Switzerland and Sweden, alongside the European Commission, the European Investment Bank and the World Bank.
Other countries, including Canada and Australia, have also expressed interest in joining the platform.
Belgium’s contribution had already been announced, as it comes from the budget earmarked for support to Palestine and therefore does not add to bilateral aid.
Specifically, it amounts to €9.45 million, earmarked specifically for Gaza. Belgium is also supporting a UNDP project in Gaza to the tune of €6 million, according to the office of Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot.
The announcement came ahead of the second meeting of the Palestinian donor group on Monday, which brings together 65 delegations and is chaired by the European Commission and the Palestinian Authority.
Reform of the Palestinian Authority is also on the agenda.
"The EU is the largest donor to the Palestinian people and the strongest supporter of a two-state solution," said the EU’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas. "To make that possible, the Palestinian Authority must follow through on the agreed reforms and strengthen its capacity to govern."
