European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen with Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, Italian Prime Minister Giorgio Meloni, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv The meeting was followed by a speech at a joint media conference. On February 24, 2024, Ukraine, Russia invaded Ukraine. European officials and the Canadian prime minister are visiting the capital, Kiev, on the second anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by STR/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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The European Union said on Friday that a maritime corridor could begin this weekend to deliver much-needed aid from Cyprus to besieged Palestinians in Gaza.
U.S. President Joe Biden said on Thursday that a temporary port would be built in Gaza to facilitate the initial shipment of aid by sea from Cyprus.
“We are now very close to opening this corridor, hopefully this Saturday to Sunday, and I am pleased to see that initial pilot operations will be launched today,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in the Cypriot port city of Larnaca. ”, together with Cypriot President Nicos Christodoulides.
Charity World Central Kitchen will send a shipment of food from Cyprus on Friday, with support from the United Arab Emirates.
The amount of aid envisaged and the logistics of delivery in Gaza are unclear. Gaza has been under an Israeli naval blockade since the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas seized control in 2007.
Cyprus is the closest EU member state to Gaza, approximately 370 kilometers (230 miles) away. It has been lobbying for months to launch the corridor but faces challenges including a lack of port infrastructure in Gaza and security issues.
“The maritime corridor has a real role to play… but at the same time, of course, we will continue to work to deliver aid to the Palestinians through all possible routes,” von der Leyen said.
The United Nations says at least 576,000 people in Gaza, a quarter of its population, are on the verge of famine.
Von der Leyen said EU member states, the UAE, the United States and other partners were working together on the project, singling out Christodoulides and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Promise of.
“As an EU member state at the heart of the region, Cyprus has a moral responsibility to do its best…to take advantage of its role and good relations with all countries in the region,” Christodoulides said.
Under this arrangement, the cargo will undergo security checks in Cyprus by a team of Israeli officials.
In January, when British and Cypriot aid to Gaza was sent to Egypt, Cyprus tested the island’s screening mechanisms.
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