Israel has bombed and bulldozed €150m of EU-funded buildings in Gaza and West Bank – but never paid back a cent

Israel has damaged at least €150m of European taxpayer-funded structures in Gaza and the West Bank, but not paid back one euro, amid concern its impunity will cause further destruction.

The European Gaza Hospital in Khan Younis (€50.5m) and the Southern Gaza Seawater Desalination Plant in Deir al-Balah, Gaza, plus its 18km pipeline (€30m), were the two most expensive EU-funded structures hit by Israeli airstrikes since 7 October 2023, when the current war began.

The EU had also invested €15m in building the Gaza Central Desalination Plant in Khan Younis and a Gas for Gaza pipeline in 2021 and 2023, but some or all of this was left unfinished due to the war and it is not known if the construction sites have also been bombed.

European taxpayers had funded an average of €10m a year in other Gaza infrastructure in the 2014 to 2020 period, according to the EU foreign service, putting another €60m of items in harm’s way.

And individual member states added to the tally in bilateral schemes.