The European Commission announced on Friday its intent, together with a number of countries, to open a maritime corridor from Cyprus to deliver additional amounts of humanitarian assistance by sea to the Gaza Strip.
The announcement was made during Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s visit to Cyprus, where she met President Nikos Christodoulides and toured the Joint Rescue and Coordination Centre in Larnaca. Located in the most south-eastern corner of the EU, close to the Middle East conflict, Cyprus brings a unique perspective and feels that the EU must assume a leadership role.
"The humanitarian situation in Gaza is dire, with innocent Palestinian families and children desperate for basic necessities.” The delivery of aid via the maritime corridor, named the ‘Amalthea initiative’, will be coordinated with UN aid coordinator for Gaza, Sigrid Kaag, and is supported among others by the United Arab Emirates.
As previously reported, the idea of a maritime corridor from Cyprus was first proposed by the Cypriot President at the international conference last November in Paris on humanitarian aid to Gaza. The idea was welcomed and fully supported by the Commission from the very start but it would take four months to launch the first aid shipment from Larnaca.
“We are now very close to the opening of the corridor, Saturday or Sunday,” the Commission President said at a joint press conference on Friday with the Cypriot President. And I am very glad to see that an initial pilot operation will be launched today.”
However, the logistical details are still not clear and the Commission’s spokesperson referred journalists to the Cypriot Ministry for Foreign Affairs for further information. For the time being there is no harbor in Gaza where the aid can be unloaded.
According to the statement, the US has announced an emergency mission led by its military to establish a temporary pier in Gaza, in coordination with humanitarian partners and other countries, to enable the delivery of significant quantities of assistance by sea. US president Joe Biden has confirmed the project but it will take several weeks for the temporary port to be built.
In the meantime, the aid will reportedly be unloaded to smaller boats that can bring it to the shore in Gaza. The Cypriot foreign ministry did not respond immediately to a request for confirmation. The Commission is optimistic and foresees that the maritime corridor will get traction and become a significant complement to the delivery of aid by land and air, a spokesperson assured on Friday.
The air bridge with humanitarian aid to Gaza via Egypt started with a few flights in October even before the Rafah crossing from Egypt was opened and has to date organised 41 flights, delivering over 1800 tonnes of aid to the civilian population in Gaza.
According to the statement, Cyprus will soon convene senior officials to discuss how the maritime corridor can be accelerated. These efforts will be closely coordinated with Israel, the statement says. The EU insists that Israel must facilitate more routes and open additional crossings to get more aid to more people.
The Israeli ministry of foreign affairs welcomed the inauguration of the maritime corridor from Cyprus to the Gaza Strip. “The Cypriot initiative will allow the increase of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, after security checks are carried out in accordance with Israeli standards.”
“It is very important that additional countries join the Cypriot initiative and the international effort to transfer aid,” the ministry added. According to the Commission’s statement, the following countries are supporting the initiative: Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, the Republic of Cyprus, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
An additional entry point to southern Gaza has been opened by Israel but it was blocked for weeks by a small group of demonstrators who protested against the aid as long as the hostages that were taken by Hamas have not been released. Israel promised also to open another entry point to northern Gaza but that has been delayed until now.
The Israel-Hamas war started on 7 October with Hamas surprise terrorist attack on Israel and has dragged on for five months until now with no end in sight. In the absence of a hostage-prisoners deal and a political horizon, the situation risks deteriorating further and spill over into other areas during the month of Ramadan which starts on Monday.
In her press remarks, Commission President von der Leyen also referred to the day after and the broader picture.
“We agree that we must start preparing today, with a viable perspective. And this perspective continues to lie in the two-state solution. This requires an immediate humanitarian pause that would lead to a sustainable ceasefire. It is clear that there can be no forced displacement of Palestinians. And no blockade of Gaza. But it is equally clear that Gaza cannot be a safe haven for terrorists.”
Update: The first shipment of aid to Gaza by sea is ready to leave Larnaca on Sunday afternoon, according to a spokesperson of the Cypriot foreign ministry. The shipment, the first of many, is organized by World Central Kitchen, founded by chef José Andrés. It is expected to head to northern Gaza with 150 tonnes of food, water and basic medical equipment.
M. Apelblat
The Brussels Times
