The EU has signed its first projects under the Team Gaza Initiative, committing €43 million to help restore water and solid waste services in Gaza.
The agreements were signed by Commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka Šuica on the margins of the UN General Assembly High-Level Week in New York, the European Commission informed on Wednesday.
Of the total, €37 million will be delivered with UNICEF to increase access to drinking water and reduce exposure to wastewater for about 1 million people in Gaza.
A further €6 million will be implemented with the UN Development Programme (UNDP) to support waste collection and waste transfer, alongside a recycling pilot programme.
The waste project will involve support from other donors and is intended to reduce health risks linked to waste and limit impacts on soil, freshwater and the Mediterranean Sea.
What is the Team Gaza Initiative?
The Team Gaza Initiative was launched in July 2026 in Brussels at the second Palestine Donor Group, hosted by the Commission, with an initial amount of nearly €1 billion.
The platform brings together the European Commission and the European Investment Bank, as well as Spain, Denmark, the United Kingdom, Germany, Norway, Finland, Italy, the Netherlands, France, Japan, Switzerland, Sweden, Belgium and Australia.
The two agreements are the first concrete projects under the initiative and are based on a Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment for Gaza prepared by the EU, the United Nations and the World Bank.
Kaja Kallas, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and a Vice-President of the European Commission, said the projects would support “the most basic services — water and waste management”, adding that the EU was “already the largest donor to the Palestinian people”.
Šuica said access for staff, equipment and supplies would be “essential” to deliver further projects.
