Israel Agrees to Permit EU-Funded Aid for Essential Services in Gaza for the First Time in a Year

Israel has informed the EU that it will permit aid funded by the bloc for essential services to enter Gaza for the first time in a year. EU Commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka Suica secured a pledge from Israel Foreign Minister Gideon Saar that assistance valued at €43 million ($49 million) for vital services—such as water pumps to restore running water—would be permitted into the war-torn enclave.

"Mr Saar promised Commissioner Suica that the material necessary for this project will enter Gaza," diplomatic sources stated, noting that this marks the first time early recovery projects are being implemented for the region.

The announcement of the EU initiative was made during the UN General Assembly in New York, representing a significant milestone for European diplomacy following months of diplomatic friction with Israel. European capitals are closely monitoring the implementation, which will be managed by the UN. The project is designed to decrease Gazans' exposure to wastewater and mitigate the spread of disease resulting from accumulated waste in the streets.

If successful, the effort could pave the way for additional EU-financed recovery projects under the bloc's €900 million Team Gaza Initiative, launched in July to support early recovery and restore basic services in the enclave.

The initiative was unveiled by the EU's Palestine Donor Group, a parallel effort to the US-led Board of Peace, which the bloc has chosen not to join due to political differences. Despite this, European officials remain in contact with the US-led board, with Ms Suica attending its meetings and maintaining relations with Mr Saar following a recent meeting in Jerusalem.

"Given the massive early recovery needs in Gaza, close co-ordination is essential," Ms Suica remarked in New York at a Board of Peace briefing. "Estamos working with the US, regional and international partners, Israeli authorities and Palestinian institutions to create the conditions to deliver on the ground."

The Board of Peace recently revealed a six-month recovery plan to initiate the rebuilding of Gaza, stating a requirement of $2.45 billion for its initial 66 projects, though the specific locations within Gaza remain unspecified. European nations continue to back a reformed Palestinian Authority to eventually assume governance of Gaza, while viewing with skepticism the technocratic Cairo-based Palestinian administration committee established under the Board of Peace.

That committee has not yet gained entry to the enclave, where low-level hostilities persist despite a nearly year-long ceasefire brokered by the US. Neither Israel nor Hamas have reached consensus on key concessions regarding demilitarisation and troop withdrawal.

While Washington granted a visa to the committee's head, Ali Shaath, to attend the UN General Assembly, it denied a visa for the second consecutive year to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. The two administrative bodies do not co-ordinate.

In June, Mr Saar severed relations with the EU's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas following private remarks regarding Israel subjecting Palestinians to apartheid policies—an allegation widely maintained by human rights groups and Palestinians, but rejected by the Israeli government and its allies.

While previous negotiations between Ms Kallas and Mr Saar last summer facilitated the entry of additional humanitarian aid lorries into Gaza, that agreement did not extend to a broader pact for reconstruction supplies. Since the conflict began in October 2023, Israel has periodically blocked aid deliveries, placing severe restrictions on dual-use items such as tents and pumps due to concerns they could be exploited by armed groups like Hamas. According to UN estimates, Gaza's total recovery and reconstruction needs stand at $71.5 billion.