Ursula von der Leyen in conversation with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides near the port of Larnaca (French)

The European Union and the United States announced on Friday the expected opening of a sea corridor between Cyprus and the Gaza Strip to transport humanitarian aid to the Palestinian Strip, which Israel continues to bomb relentlessly, 5 months after the start of its aggression.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said after a visit to the port 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 US President Joe Biden announced 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 require several weeks.

The US Department of Defense (the Pentagon) announced that the 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 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must allow more aid to enter 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 reaching a temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip by the month of Ramadan “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.

Source: French