The “Open Arms” docked in the port of Larnaca, Cyprus.
– | AFP | Getty Images
An aid ship was approaching the Gaza Strip coastline on Friday to deliver much-needed supplies to the Palestinian people, with aid groups warning that thousands of people in the besieged enclave are on the brink of famine.
The ship, called “Open Arms” and operated by a Spanish charity of the same name, carried about 200 tons of supplies, including flour, rice and water, from the Cyprus port of Larnaca. AFP video footage showed the ship visible off the coast of Gaza on Friday morning London time.
The circuitous route comes as large numbers of food and aid trucks await permission to enter the Gaza Strip via the Kerem Shalom crossing with Israel and Gaza or the Rafah crossing with Egypt and Gaza.
Israel last year agreed to work with Cyprus to create a cross-sea aid corridor between EU member states and Gaza.Earlier this month, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs explain It welcomed the finalization of the initiative, which it said “will increase humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, following security checks in accordance with Israeli standards”.
Juliette Touma, Communications Director of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), said the lack of humanitarian access has seriously worsened the situation in northern Gaza.
“This is where hunger has been identified. We could have avoided this, this is a man-made situation,” she told CNBC.
On December 28, 2023, in Gaza Salafa, people lined up to receive food cooked in large pots and distributed for free during the war.
Ahmed Hassabala | Getty Images
“The fact that parts of northern Gaza are on the verge of famine could have been avoided if more humanitarian supplies, especially food, were allowed to flow to the north on a regular basis.”
The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza stated that as of March 12, 27 people died from malnutrition and dehydration In hospitals in the north of the enclave, 23 of them are children.
Palestinian Red Crescent spokesman Nebal Farsakh said the number of aid trucks heading to the Gaza corridor in February dropped by 50% compared to the previous month.
“If the Israeli authorities think there is an item that should not come in, they will intercept the entire truck and send it back without telling us what item was denied entry,” Faisah told CNBC in the West Bank.
Fassah said Israeli authorities inspect all aid convoys entering the Rafah crossing, a lengthy process. “Thousands of trucks are still waiting at the Rafah crossing, subject to approval from the Israeli authorities.”
Trucks carrying humanitarian aid and food at the Kerem Shalom crossing on the Israel-Gaza border.
Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images
An IDF spokesman said they would continue to step up efforts to allow humanitarian aid to enter the Gaza Strip. “The Israel Defense Forces have made significant efforts to facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid and have taken actions to enable the entry of humanitarian aid in a safe and coordinated manner,” the spokesperson told CNBC.
“A vessel funded by the United Arab Emirates and carrying humanitarian aid from the WCK (World Central Kitchen) organization set sail from the Cyprus port of Larnaca on Tuesday, bound for the Gaza Strip. This was done in coordination with Israeli security and civil authorities .At the direction of the Israeli government and at the request of the U.S. government,” the spokesperson added.
oxygenn Social media website XThe Israel Defense Forces have also accused Hamas of diverting aid, a charge the Palestinian militant group denies.
blockade aid
Some humanitarian organizations and NGOs have accused Israel of deliberately targeting aid convoys and staff at the Rafah crossing.
A spokesperson for UNRWA said: “On three separate occasions our convoys have been attacked on their way to and from the north. In these three separate incidents, the responsible party was the Israeli army. As a result, traveling to the north is extremely difficult .” Touma said.
An Israeli soldier stands on the Israeli side of the Kerem Shalom border crossing with a truck carrying humanitarian aid in the southern Gaza Strip during ongoing clashes between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas on January 22, 2024. Next to the Egyptian truck.
Menachem Kahana | AFP | Getty Images
UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said this week X A truck full of aid “had just been returned because it had scissors for children’s medical kits”.
The Israeli army says the scissors are “dual-purpose” and are weapons deployed by Hamas.
Earlier this month, Refugees International released a Report Israel is allegedly blocking life-saving supplies from entering Gaza.
Jesse Marks of the US-based humanitarian organization told CNBC that while their report is detailed, “it reinforces what most humanitarian and UN actors know on the ground that Israel’s behavior has been Hindering aid organizations in Gaza and impeding legitimate aid efforts from Gaza.” Forward. ”
global aid activities
On October 7, Hamas launched a terrorist attack in southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking more than 240 people hostage. Israel subsequently laid siege to the Gaza Strip.
Subsequent Israeli bombing of the enclave and a lack of aid to the area have led to growing calls for a worsening humanitarian crisis. It prompted countries and organizations around the world to step up efforts to deliver food to the Gaza Strip by air and sea.
The United States and Jordan conducted humanitarian airdrops, although these airdrops critics Aid groups say they are “ineffective” because of Israel’s land blockade.
This photo taken from Israel’s southern border with Gaza shows a military aircraft dropping humanitarian aid over Palestinian territory on March 12, 2024, as clashes between Israel and the militant group Hamas continued .
Menachem Kahana | AFP | Getty Images
Morocco also Delivered 40 tons of humanitarian supplies via Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport in the latest effort to find new aid routes into the Gaza corridor.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, the United Nations World Food Program used a new overland route to deliver six truckloads of food directly to northern Gaza for the first time since February 20.
The charity Open Arms, which works with chef José Andrés’ World Central Kitchen organization, said it was working to establish a “vital corridor” for food and essential goods into the Gaza Strip.
The charity said in a press release: “While this task is complex, it is undeniably necessary. Our vessel Open Arms is fully stocked with food and water and our dedicated crew are ready to help the most vulnerable group.”
WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 14: Celebrity chef Jose Andres (center) with Senator Chris Coons (D-DE) (left) and Senator Peter Welch (D-VT) Interviewed together after a meeting on humanitarian aid to Gaza on March 14, 2024 at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC. Andres, the founder of World Central Kitchen, has been working with the United States and Israel for weeks on a plan to ship aid to Gaza.
Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images
UNRWA’s Touma said that while these international efforts were welcome, “there are more efficient, easier, cheaper, safer and more reliable ways to deliver aid to the people of Gaza. And that is through roads, increased The number of trucks used by the Israeli authorities to allow access to Gaza by road. ”
While delivering aid by land remains a challenge, the United States has announced Temporary pier will be built Near the coast of Gaza.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken explain Once construction is complete, the terminal “will be able to distribute up to 2 million meals per day as well as medicine and water.”
However, he emphasized that this does not replace land transportation and “Israel needs to open as many access points as possible and keep them open.”
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