The EU said Monday that European donors had put some $1 billion on the table to help initial recovery efforts in the war-torn Gaza Strip, devastated by the Israel-Hamas war.

“We will present the initial package today of almost 900 million euros, or 1 billion dollars,” Dubravka Suica, EU commissioner for the Mediterranean, said ahead of a donor meeting in Brussels.

“We now need the conditions on the ground that will allow the support to reach the people in Gaza,” she said.

The funds — which officials said include money already pledged to help Gaza — would be used to clear debris left from Israel’s military offensive in the Strip, and rebuild basic services such as water and sanitation.

“The governments of Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland, together with the European Commission and the European Investment Bank, are participating,” Brussels said.

The World Bank is also taking part in the initiative, the statement noted, and Australia and Canada are also expected to join.

The EU said Suica had on a recent visit to Israel “reached agreement with the Israeli authorities on next steps for the implementation of two major projects in the areas of waste and water management in Gaza.”

The commissioner said donors “want to start with so-called early recovery, and it is very important to show that we are willing........

© The Times of Israel