U.S. Central Command and the Royal Jordanian Air Force are conducting a joint humanitarian airdrop into northern Gaza to provide essential relief to civilians affected by the ongoing Israeli attacks on March 7, 2024 in northern Gaza.
US Central Command Anatolia | Getty Images
A ship loaded with relief supplies for Gaza is preparing to leave Cyprus on Saturday as part of efforts to help residents living on the brink of famine.
The European Commission said a sea aid corridor between Cyprus and Gaza could start operating as early as this weekend in a pilot project run by an international charity and funded by the United Arab Emirates.
Open Arms, a ship owned by a Spanish NGO and more accustomed to rescuing migrants at sea, was expected to be deployed on the first mission. Live footage from Reuters TV showed that the ship was still in the port of Larnaca in Cyprus on Saturday afternoon, and authorities were unable to give a specific departure date.
Cyprus is located about 210 miles northwest of Gaza, or about a 15-hour sailing time.
Separately, the United States said it plans to build a temporary dock to bring aid to Gaza, which has no port infrastructure. It also plans to use Cyprus initially, which offers a cargo screening process that will include Israeli officials, eliminating the need for security checks in Gaza.
Negotiations on a possible ceasefire in the war waged by Israel against Hamas are still at an impasse.
The pallets of rice, flour and protein were loaded in Larnaca on Saturday in an operation organized by the charity World Central Kitchen (WCK) and mostly funded by the UAE.
Aid agencies have warned of a looming famine after five months of Israel's campaign against Hamas. Most of Gaza's 2.3 million people are now internally displaced, with severe bottlenecks in aid delivery at land border checkpoints.
The sea corridor from Cyprus will complement attempts to boost aid supplies, which have included airdrops of food.
The WCK charity has partnered with Spanish company Proactiva Open Arms and is providing the food.
“WCK and its partners have agreed that more than one ship is needed, and are working to provide a continuous flow of aid,” she said in a statement, adding that another 500 tons of aid were ready to follow the initial shipment.
A WCK spokesman said the intention was to sail to Gaza, where WCK and its partners were building a jetty. It had nothing to do with the American Pier Project.
Gaza has been subject to an Israeli naval blockade since 2007, when Hamas took control of the Strip. There have been only a few direct arrivals by sea since then. Larnaca port has been used by pro-Palestinian activists, who used small sailing boats to reach the Gaza port in 2008.
