The European Union is launching the “Team Gaza” initiative, which Italy is joining. This initiative was introduced by the European Commission during the meeting of the Palestine Donor Group (Pdg) as a platform to coordinate efforts to support the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.
It involves thirteen states, including Italy, as well as the European Commission, the European Investment Bank, and the World Bank. Financial support of 883.6 million euros has been allocated for the initial planned actions. New financial commitments totaling 41.7 million euros for the Palestinian Authority have also been announced.
Project coordination and international participants
In addition to Italy, the governments of France, Germany, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Japan, Norway, and Switzerland have joined the “Team Gaza” initiative. Australia and Canada have expressed interest in joining.
The initiative aligns with the Peace Plan for Gaza and UN Security Council Resolution 2803. It is based on the “Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment for Gaza”, published in April 2026 by the EU, the United Nations, and the World Bank. Its goal is to coordinate projects aimed at restoring essential services in Gaza, including water supply and sanitation infrastructure, waste management, as well as health, energy, agriculture, and food systems.
During the meeting, the first exchange of views took place on two water supply and waste management projects, which were agreed upon by Commissioner Šuica with the Israeli authorities during her recent mission to Israel and Palestine.
Funding through Pegase and the composition of Pdg participants
On the sidelines of the Pdg meeting, the EU, together with Italy, Spain, Denmark, Cyprus, Ireland, Greece, Portugal, the Netherlands, France, Switzerland, and Belgium, signed new agreements totaling 41.7 million euros. These agreements were concluded through the Pegase mechanism — a tool created in 2008 that applies high standards of control through ex-ante audits and ex-post checks for the transparent and effective delivery of aid to the Palestinian Authority.
This amount adds to the 310 million euros that the European Commission has committed to disburse through Pegase for the two-year period of 2026-2027. Since its inception, the Pegase mechanism has mobilized a total of 3.8 billion euros to support the Palestinian population.
Today’s meeting was the second Pdg meeting, co-chaired by Šuica and the Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority Mohammad Mustafa, with the participation of 65 international delegations. Among the attendees were ministers and senior officials from EU member states and partner countries, as well as representatives of international and regional organizations and financial institutions. For the first time, the meeting was attended by the High Representative of the Peace Council Nikolay Mladenov and the head of the National Gaza Management Committee Ali Shaat.
Source: ANSA
