It remains unclear when reconstruction efforts will officially begin. Although a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas came into effect in October 2025, little progress has been made since then.
The announcement was made by the European Commissioner for the Mediterranean, Dubravka Šuica, following a donor conference held in Brussels, Belgium.
The conference brought together members of the international donor group supporting Palestine, including the European Union, countries from the Middle East, international organizations, and financial institutions.
Among those in attendance were Nickolay Mladenov, head of the Board of Peace established by President Donald Trump to oversee Gaza’s reconstruction; Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law; Ali Shaath, who leads the newly formed Palestinian committee tasked with managing Gaza’s day-to-day affairs but has not yet been able to enter the territory; and Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa.
Šuica said, “The ceasefire agreement in Gaza has yet to deliver meaningful results, and the humanitarian situation for civilians remains extremely difficult.”
She added that the funds would be distributed through “trusted partners,” although she did not provide further details.
After nearly three years of war, Gaza—home to more than 2 million people—has suffered widespread destruction. According to the United Nations, the World Bank, and the European Union, rebuilding the territory is expected to cost around $70 billion.
The United Nations estimates that Gaza contains more than 60 million tonnes of debris from destroyed buildings—enough to fill approximately 3,000 cargo ships. Clearing the rubble alone is expected to take more than seven years, with additional time needed to locate and safely dispose of unexploded ordnance.
Nickolay Mladenov said the next phase of implementing the ceasefire agreement has stalled because of the unresolved issue of disarming Hamas fighters in Gaza.
The war between Israel and Hamas began on October 7, when Hamas launched an attack on Israel that killed more than 1,200 people and saw others taken hostage. Israel responded with a large-scale military campaign in Gaza. Since then, more than 70,000 Palestinians have reportedly been killed.
