A ship loaded with relief supplies for Gaza was set to leave Cyprus on Saturday as part of attempts to help a people on the verge of hunger.
The European Commission has announced that a marine supply corridor between Cyprus and Gaza might begin operations as early as this weekend as part of a pilot project managed by an international charity and funded by the UAE.
The Open Arms, a vessel owned by a Spanish NGO that is more experienced to rescuing migrants at sea, was slated to be dispatched for the first mission.
Cyprus lies about 210 miles north-west of Gaza.
Separately, the United States has said it plans to build a temporary jetty to bring aid into Gaza, which has no port infrastructure.
Negotiations on a possible ceasefire in Israel’s war against Hamas remain deadlocked.
Pallets of rice, flour and protein were being loaded in Larnaca on Saturday in an operation organized by the World Central Kitchen (WCK) charity and mostly funded by the UAE.
Aid agencies have warned of a looming famine five months into Israel’s campaign against Hamas. Most of Gaza’s 2.3 million inhabitants are now internally displaced, with severe bottlenecks in aid deliveries at land border checkpoints.
A sea corridor from Cyprus will supplement attempts to boost aid supplies, which have included airdrops of food.
The charity WCK has partnered with Spain’s Proactiva Open Arms and is sourcing the food.
“WCK and partners agree more than one ship will be needed and are working towards a constant flow of aid,” it said in a statement, adding that another 500 tons of aid was ready to follow the initial shipment.
A spokesperson for WCK said the intention was to sail to Gaza, where WCK and partners were building a jetty. It was not related to the US jetty project.
Gaza has been under an Israeli navy blockade since 2007, when Hamas took control of the enclave. There have been few direct sea arrivals since then. Larnaca port was used by pro-Palestinian activists, who used small sail boats to get into Gaza harbor in 2008.
