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 follows:
€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.
