"We will present an initial package of approximately 900 million euros or 1 billion dollars," said European Commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka Schweica ahead of a donors' meeting in Brussels, adding: "Now we need field conditions that allow the aid to reach the people in Gaza."
The funds, which officials said include amounts already pledged to help Gaza, will be used to remove the rubble left by Israel’s devastating military operation in the sector, and to restore basic services such as water and sanitation.
Brussels announced that "the governments of Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland, along with the European Commission and the European Investment Bank, are participating" in the meeting.
The European Union stated that Schweitzer, during a recent visit to Israel, reached "an agreement with the Israeli authorities on the next steps for implementing two major water and waste management projects in Gaza."
The United Nations estimates that reconstruction will take years and require tens of billions of dollars, given the severe shortage of building materials and rubble removal equipment.
Representatives from the "Peace Council" established by US President Donald Trump, which aims to help pave the way for post-war Gaza, attended the Brussels meeting, along with Trump's son-in-law and advisor Jared Kushner, who participated in the meeting via video.
During the genocide that Israel has been committing in the Gaza Strip since October 8, 2023, more than 73,000 Palestinians have been killed and more than 173,000 have been injured, in addition to widespread destruction affecting about 90% of the civilian infrastructure.
