EU declines to comment on Israeli responsibility for Gaza reconstruction

The European Commission has refused to comment on whether Israel should contribute to Gaza’s reconstruction costs, despite advancing a plan to use profits from frozen Russian assets to rebuild Ukraine.

During a press briefing in Brussels, European Commission spokeswoman Paula Pinho was asked whether Israel should pay for the reconstruction of Gaza following its military operation. “It is certainly an interesting question on which I have no comment to make at this stage,” she said.

The EU is moving forward with a proposal to use earnings from blocked Russian central bank assets to provide financial support for Ukraine’s reconstruction. However, no comparable initiative has been suggested for Gaza, where over 65,000 Palestinians have been killed and extensive damage has been reported since October 2023.