200 tons of food loaded
First aid ship for Gaza leaves Cyprus
March 12, 2024, 2:53 p.m
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The humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is catastrophic. According to UN estimates, a quarter of the population is at risk of starvation. The first ship with relief supplies is now leaving Cyprus. A successful operation could ease Israel’s naval blockade.
A ship carrying almost 200 tons of food for the suffering population in the Gaza Strip has left the port of Larnaca in Cyprus. The “Open Arms”, a ship owned by a Spanish aid organization, towed a barge with flour, rice and protein products towards the Palestinian territory. This is a pilot project for the opening of a new sea route through which, in the longer term, relief supplies will be delivered to people at risk of hunger as a result of the war between Israel and Hamas. There is currently no great chance of a ceasefire during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which began on Sunday evening.
The journey from Larnaca to the Gaza Strip takes about 15 hours. Because of the heavy barge, it could take up to two days, Cypriot authorities said. Cyprus is just over 320 kilometers northwest of the Gaza Strip. The relief effort, largely funded by the United Arab Emirates, is organized by the US-based charity World Central Kitchen (WCK). The ship is provided by the Spanish charity Proactiva Open Arms. “Our goal is to build a maritime highway of boats and barges loaded with millions of meals that travel continuously toward Gaza,” said WCK founder Jose Andres and executive director Erin Gore.
USA wants to build a port for Gaza aid
Another 500 tons of relief supplies are ready to be shipped to Cyprus. Since there is a lack of port infrastructure in the largely destroyed Gaza Strip, the WCK said it built a jetty there using material from destroyed buildings and rubble. This is a separate initiative to a plan announced by US President Joe Biden last week to build a temporary pier in the Gaza Strip to facilitate aid deliveries by sea. If the aid operation is successful, it would mark the first easing of the naval blockade that Israel imposed on the Gaza Strip in 2007.
A year earlier, the radical Hamas had won the election in the Palestinian territory and asserted its power after a brief civil war with the moderate Fatah from the West Bank, the other Palestinian territory. The government in Cyprus said the maritime corridor offered a quick solution to get help where it was needed. The cargoes will undergo safety inspections in Cyprus by a team including personnel from Israel. This eliminates the need for unloading controls to prevent possible delays in aid deliveries.
According to estimates by the United Nations (UN), a quarter of the population in the devastated coastal area is at risk of starvation and aid barely covers daily needs. The UN has previously accused Israel of blocking aid to civilians in the Gaza Strip. As a result of the war, most of the 2.3 million people in the narrow strip of the Mediterranean were displaced. Many live in makeshift tents in the southern city of Rafah and have little food or basic medical care.