A ship carrying humanitarian aid left the Cypriot port of Larnaca for Gaza, one of the two NGOs in charge of the operation told AFP, as international donors set up a maritime corridor to supply the besieged territory, facing widespread famine after five months of war.
The ship belonging to the Spanish NGO Open Arms, carrying 200 tons of food to be distributed in Gaza by Spanish-American chef José Andrés’ organization, World Central Kitchen, “left” at around 06:50 GMT, said Open Arms spokeswoman Laura Lanuza.
The opening of this corridor, along with the recent initiative to airdrop aid, signals growing frustration with the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and a new international determination to bypass the restrictions imposed by Israel.
“The Cypriot initiative will allow increased humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, after a security check in line with Israeli standards,” said Lior Haiat, spokesman for the Israeli Foreign Ministry, on X, formerly Twitter.
For several months, aid has been arriving in Gaza in a very limited and irregular manner by land.
According to the World Food and Agriculture Organization, between 100 and 150 trucks reach Gaza every day, although at least twice as many are needed to avoid starvation. To supplement these deliveries, Jordan, Egypt, the United States and France carried out airdrops, but again, they are not enough.
With AFP
