The first boat using the new maritime corridor between Cyprus and the Gaza Strip to deliver humanitarian aid set sail towards the famine-hit Palestinian territory on Tuesday morning.
The flagship of the Spanish NGO Open Arms left the Cypriot port of Larnaca around 07:50 (local time), stated Laura Lanuza, spokesperson for the organisation that typically aids rescue efforts in the central Mediterranean for migrants.
The vessel is carrying about 200 tonnes of food supplies, including rice, flour, and canned goods, which are set to be distributed in Gaza by the operation of Hispano-American leader José Andrés, World Central Kitchen (WCK).
"The aid provided by WCK is en route to Gaza on the Open Arms ship,” confirmed WCK in a message published on X, while stating their intention to “send as many ships as possible.”
World Central Kitchen has already positioned teams in Gaza amid escalating violence, and has constructed a jetty for unloading the cargo once the ship arrives; the location of this jetty has been undisclosed due to security concerns.
In parallel, a US military ship left on Saturday from the United States with the necessary equipment for building a jetty to offload aid cargoes, a process that could take up to 60 days.
In response to inadequate aid arriving by land in the territory devastated by over five months of conflict between Israel and Hamas, aid is dropped by air and will now also be routed by sea due to this corridor’s opening.
Cyprus is the European Union (EU) country closest to the Gaza Strip, located approximately 370 kilometres away.
