U.S. Central Command and the Royal Jordanian Air Force jointly airdropped humanitarian assistance to northern Gaza to provide necessary relief to civilians affected by Israel’s continued attacks in northern Gaza on March 7, 2024.
U.S. Central Command | Anadolu | Getty Images
A ship loaded with relief supplies Gaza is preparing to leave Cyprus on Saturday as part of efforts to aid people on the brink of famine.
Maritime aid corridor between Cyprus and Gaza could start operations as soon as this year, European Commission says weekend This is a pilot program run by an international charity and funded by the UAE.
The Open Arms, a vessel owned by a Spanish NGO and more accustomed to rescuing migrants at sea, is expected to be deployed on the first mission. Live images from Reuters TV showed the ship was still in the Cypriot port of Larnaca on Saturday afternoon, and authorities could not give an exact departure time.
Cyprus is located approximately 210 miles northwest of Gaza, and the sailing time is approximately 15 hours.
In addition, the United States also explain It plans to build a temporary terminal to bring aid into Gaza, which has no port infrastructure.It also plans to first use Cyprus, which is offering a process filter The shipment will include Israeli officials, eliminating the need for security checks in Gaza.
Negotiations over a possible ceasefire in Israel’s war against Hamas remain deadlocked.
An operation organized by the World Central Kitchen (WCK) charity and largely funded by the UAE loaded pallets of rice, flour and protein in Larnaca on Saturday.
Five months after Israel launched its attack on Hamas, aid agencies warned of looming famine. Most of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents are now internally displaced, and aid deliveries at land border checkpoints are experiencing severe bottlenecks.
The maritime corridor from Cyprus will complement efforts to increase aid supplies, including airdrops of food.
Charity WCK is procuring the food in partnership with Spain’s Proactiva Open Arms.
“WCK and partners agree that more than one ship will be needed and are working to provide a continuous flow of aid,” the company said in a statement, adding that following the initial shipment, another 500 tons of aid had been Ready.
A spokesman for WCK said the purpose was to sail to Gaza, where WCK and partners were building a terminal. This has nothing to do with the American Marina project.
Gaza has been under an Israeli naval blockade since Hamas took control of the enclave in 2007. From that time on, very few ships arrived directly by sea. The port of Larnaca has been used by pro-Palestinian activists, who used small sailing boats to enter Gaza in 2008.
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