The European Union and the United States announced on Friday the expected opening of a sea corridor between Cyprus and…Gaza strip To transport humanitarian aid to the Palestinian Strip, which Israel continues to bomb relentlessly, 5 months after the start of its aggression.
The President of the European Commission stated Ursula von der Leyen After a visit to the port of the city of Larnaca in southern Cyprus – located about 380 kilometers from Gaza – “We are very close to opening this sea corridor, and we hope that this will happen this Sunday.”
In a joint statement by the parties contributing to the plan, it was said that “the humanitarian situation in Gaza is catastrophic… For this reason, the European Commission, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Cyprus, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States today announce their intention to open a sea corridor to deliver additional much-needed humanitarian aid.” .
This came after the US President’s announcement Joe Biden About a major humanitarian operation by sea, which according to officials in his administration includes building a “temporary dock” in Gaza to bring in “massive aid,” but its completion may take several weeks.
The US Department of Defense announced (PentagonThe temporary floating port that the United States intends to establish off Gaza to deliver aid to the residents of the Palestinian Strip will take up to 60 days to build, and will likely involve more than a thousand soldiers.
American pressure
Some reports indicate that the United States is putting pressure on Israel, which has imposed a complete siege on the Gaza Strip since October 9, and allows it to be supplied with only limited amounts of aid.
The US President said that the Israeli Prime Minister should Benjamin Netanyahu Allowing more aid into Gaza, after he was heard saying via an open microphone that he would have a frank discussion with the Israeli Prime Minister about the war in the Strip.
Biden later announced that a temporary ceasefire had been reached between Israel and the movement agitation In the Gaza Strip, during the month of Ramadan, “it seems difficult.”
He also expressed “deep” concern about the violence that could erupt in occupied East Jerusalem during Ramadan.
According to the United Nations, 2.2 million people, who constitute the vast majority of Gaza’s population, are threatened by famine, with a serious shortage of food and drinking water. 1.7 million of them were displaced from their homes due to bombing and fighting.