The European Union (EU) has mobilized funding worth €900 million ($1 billion) to support the reconstruction of Gaza after two years of Israeli bombardment that left large parts of the Palestinian territory in ruins.
The exact date for the start of Gaza’s reconstruction efforts has not yet been announced. A ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas came into effect in October 2025, but little progress has been made since then.
The European Commissioner for the Mediterranean, Dubravka Šuica, announced the funding after a meeting held in Brussels, Belgium.
The meeting brought together a group of donors committed to supporting Palestine, including the European Union, Middle Eastern countries, international organizations, and financial institutions.
Among those attending were Nickolay Mladenov, who heads the Board of Peace established by Donald Trump to oversee Gaza’s reconstruction efforts; Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law; Ali Shaath, head of a new Palestinian committee tasked with managing daily affairs in Gaza, although the committee has not yet been able to operate there; and Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa.
Dubravka Šuica said: “The ceasefire agreement in Gaza has not yet delivered results, and the living conditions of the people there remain extremely difficult.”
She added that the funds would be channelled through “trusted partners,” but did not provide further details.
After a war that lasted three years, Gaza, home to more than two million people, has suffered massive destruction. The United Nations, World Bank, and European Union estimate that rebuilding Gaza will require around $70 billion.
The United Nations has reported that Gaza contains more than 60 million tonnes of debris from destroyed buildings. This amount of waste would fill about 3,000 shipping containers. Removing the debris could take more than seven years, with additional time needed to locate and clear unexploded ordnance.
Nickolay Mladenov said that the next step in implementing the ceasefire agreement has not yet been achieved due to the major challenge of disarming Hamas fighters in Gaza.
The Israel–Hamas war began on October 7, when Hamas launched attacks on Israel, killing more than 1,200 people and taking others hostage. Israel then launched extensive military operations against the group in Gaza, and since then, more than 70,000 Palestinians have reportedly lost their lives.
