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European Union pledges $1 billion for Gaza reconstruction

The EU unveiled a massive Gaza rebuilding initiative just one day after a UN official condemned Hamas’ obstruction of humanitarian aid.

By World Israel News Staff

European Union member states have pledged $1 billion toward rebuilding the Gaza Strip through a new international initiative focused on restoring infrastructure and supporting the enclave’s long-term recovery, the bloc announced on Monday.

The new program, dubbed the Team Gaza Initiative, was unveiled during the second meeting of the Palestine Donor Group, hosted by the European Commission in Brussels. The meeting was co-chaired by European Commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka Šuica and Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa.

According to the European Commission, the initiative will finance projects aimed at restoring Gaza’s water and sanitation systems, rebuilding critical infrastructure, supporting agricultural recovery, expanding energy supplies, and strengthening the health care sector.

The project is being funded by Spain, Denmark, the United Kingdom, Germany, Norway, Finland, Italy, the Netherlands, France, Japan, Switzerland, Sweden, Belgium, the European Commission, the European Investment Bank, and the World Bank.

“The EU is the most reliable and credible partner for the Palestinian people. We are the largest donor and the strongest supporter of a two-state solution,” Kaja Kallas, high representative for foreign affairs and security policy and vice president of the European Commission, said in a press release.

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“Ultimately, the building of a Palestinian state must be owned and led by the Palestinian people, but they need the backing of the international community,” she added.

The European Union did not elaborate on what specific oversight mechanisms would be implemented to ensure reconstruction funds intended for civilians are not diverted by Hamas, which continues to maintain de facto control over much of the Gaza Strip.

The announcement comes just one day after a senior United Nations official publicly condemned Hamas for obstructing humanitarian assistance—an unusually direct criticism from the international body.

In a statement issued Sunday, Dr. Ramiz Alakbarov, the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process (UNSCO), condemned what he described as the “recent obstruction of humanitarian operations in Gaza… which endangered humanitarian personnel, intimidated workers delivering lifesaving food assistance and disrupted life-saving humanitarian operations.”