A ship carrying about 200 tons of food sailed from a port in Cyprus, early today (Tuesday), in a first attempt to launch a new sea route to deliver aid to residents of the Gaza Strip who are on the brink of famine.
Laura Lanuza, spokeswoman for the “Open Arms” organization, said that the organization’s ship carrying 200 tons of food “departed” at about 06:50 GMT Tuesday.
The rescue ship (Open Arms) was seen sailing from the port of Larnaca in Cyprus, towing a barge containing about 200 tons of flour, rice and proteins.
Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulitis wrote on the “X” platform: “The Amalthea sailed within the context of the Cypriot sea corridor initiative to provide humanitarian aid to Gaza. “It is a lifeline for civilians.”
The Amalthia journey is one of hope and humanity, and it has only just began. The first ship in the context of the Cyprus Maritime Corridor Initiative for humanitarian aid to Gaza has sailed. It is a lifeline to civilians. #Amalthia #CyprusMaritimeCorridor
— NikosChristodoulides (@Christodoulides) March 12, 2024
Today, the World Central Kitchen relief organization announced the departure of the ship from Cyprus to Gaza. She added in a statement on her account on the “X” platform: “We are working to send the largest number of maritime aid in cooperation with Cyprus and the Emirates.”
She explained that the food supplies she sent included rice, flour, legumes, canned vegetables, and proteins, and that the Foundation’s relief team is working to send the largest possible number of aid boats.
World Central Kitchen has deployed teams in Gaza since the beginning of the war, and has built a dock so that the cargo can be unloaded once the ship arrives in the Strip. However, the location of this pier has not been determined for security reasons.
Cyprus is the closest European Union country to the Gaza Strip, located about 370 kilometers away. In this context, an American military ship left the United States on Saturday, carrying the necessary equipment to build a dock to unload aid shipments, which may take 60 days.
In light of the scarcity of aid arriving by land to the devastated Strip after more than 5 months of war between Israel and Hamas, aid packages are being dropped by air and will be delivered by sea thanks to the opening of this humanitarian sea corridor. But the United Nations confirms that sending aid by sea and airdrops, in which several countries participate and have been carried out daily for weeks, cannot replace the land route.
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