EU launches first €43 million Team Gaza projects to help restore essential services

Today, the first flagship early recovery projects under the EU-led Team Gaza Initiative were signed by Commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka Šuica in the margins of the UN General Assembly High-Level Week in New York. The projects, together worth a total of €43 million, will help restore essential water and solid waste management services for people in Gaza. The projects will be implemented together with UNICEF and UNDP and will address needs and help restore basic services for the population in Gaza.

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, this platform gathers key international actors to coordinate ongoing and planned early recovery projects for the people of Gaza. It brings together Spain, Denmark, the United Kingdom, Germany, Norway, Finland, Italy, the Netherlands, France, Japan, Switzerland, Sweden, Belgium and Australia, alongside the European Commission and the European Investment Bank.

The funding will be implemented as follow:

• €37 million (implemented together with UNICEF) will go towards increasing access to drinking water and reduce exposure to wastewater for approximately 1 million people in Gaza.
• €6 million (implemented together with UNDP) will support waste collection and waste transfer, as well as a recycling pilot programme. The project, which involves support from other donors will contribute to protecting public health, reducing the risk of disease and limiting the impact of waste on soil, freshwater and the Mediterranean Sea.

These first projects underline the commitment under the Team Gaza Initiative to turning coordinated international support into concrete early recovery action for the people of Gaza.

Background

The two agreements are the first concrete projects under the Team Gaza Initiative as part of the EU's efforts to coordinate international support for Gaza's early recovery.

Based on the Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment for Gaza, prepared by the European Union, the United Nations and the World Bank, Team Gaza participants stand ready to support early recovery projects in areas including water and sanitation, debris and solid waste management, health, energy, agriculture and food systems.

The EU-led initiative is grounded in the shared commitment to support and advance the implementation of the Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict under United Nations Security Council Resolution 2803.

The EU is a long-standing partner of the Palestinian people and supports a negotiated two-state solution, with Israel and Palestine living side by side in peace and security.

For more information

EU Multiannual and Comprehensive Programme for Palestine Recovery and Resilience

EU's support to recovery and reconstruction in Gaza

EU-Palestine relations

List of participants

Team Gaza Initiative