Gaza: a first boat expected from Cyprus, the hope of a maritime corridor to deliver aid
The idea of going through Cyprus, located less than 400 kilometers from the Israeli coast, to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, had been circulating for months, even if nothing seemed to be moving forward.
But since Friday March 8 and the announcement by the American president that the United States was going to build a port in Gaza, a real plan has been put in place by the European Commission and the Cypriot presidency.
A first boat from the Spanish NGO Open Arms is due to leave Larnaca, in southern Cyprus, to deliver food, water and vital supplies.
The ship belonging to the aid group Open Arms docks as it prepares to transport some 200 tons of rice and flour directly to Gaza, at the port of Larnaca, Cyprus, Friday, March 8, 2024. AP - Marcos Andronicou
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If the Israeli authorities continue to turn a deaf ear to the demands of the international community which calls for the opening of more crossing points with
Gaza
, some countries have chosen another option.
While the Palestinians are desperately waiting for food, the idea is now to transport this aid from
Cyprus
,
via
the sea, using in particular a ship from the Spanish NGO Open Arms.
This operation, announced this Friday March 8 by the President of the European Commission, counts on the support of the European Union, the United States, Cyprus and the United Arab Emirates,
with the agreement of the Israeli authorities
, without whom nothing is not possible.
The idea is to bring this aid directly to the north of the Gaza Strip and unload it using a barge which would be towed all the way, according to the Spanish press.
Read alsoGaza Strip: a “maritime corridor” project and questions
200 tons of aid
The ship of the Spanish NGO Open-Arms should leave the port of Lanarca this Sunday March 10, according to the Cypriot authorities.
The island's Ministry of Foreign Affairs assures that all that remains is to assess the weather conditions.
Boxed rice, flour and proteins were loaded on board the day before, under the control of Israeli observers, in accordance with an agreement signed last December between the Jewish state and Cyprus.
In total, this initiative should make it possible to transport 200 tonnes of aid, while the situation in Gaza is catastrophic
according to many organizations present there
.
They constantly repeat that aid delivered by air and land is not enough.
A first boat should arrive this Sunday in Gaza, according to Ursula von der Leyen, who wanted to thank Open Arms and the NGO World Central Kitchen who have been fighting for two months to set up this maritime corridor.
Also read: In Gaza, “a real mafia gets its hands on almost all the aid”
Naval blockade imposed on Gaza since 2007
If World Central Kitchen will be responsible for distributing the aid from this convoy to the Palestinians, the modalities for unloading aid on a large scale in the enclave remain to be defined in the
face of security risks
and the lack of infrastructure.
This Thursday, March 7, American President Joe Biden announced the construction of a “
temporary pier
” on the coast of Gaza.
But according to the Pentagon, it could take up to 60 days and would involve a thousand troops.
On the European side, the exact contributions of the Commission, but also of Germany, Italy and the Netherlands, have yet to be clarified.
If these maritime convoys materialize, it would be the first easing of the naval blockade imposed on Gaza by Israel since 2007.
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