Open Arms Aid Ship Sets Sail From Cyprus To Gaza With Vital Supplies

A ship loaded with nearly 200 tons of food supplies to Gaza departed from a port in Cyprus on Tuesday as part of a pilot project to open up a new sea path for the transportation of aid to a population on the brink of famine. The charity vessel Open Arms sailed from the Larnaca port based in Cyprus, towing a barge with flour, protein, and rice. According to Cypriot officials, the 200-mile trip to Gaza across the eastern Mediterranean by heavy tow barge might take up to two days.

The mission, primarily funded by the UAE, has been organized by a US-based charity named the World Central Kitchen (WCK). In contrast, a Spanish charity, Proactiva Open Arms, has supplied the vessel. The goal is to have a maritime highway of barges and boats stocked with millions of meals continuously heading toward Gaza, explained the founder of WCK, Jose Andres, and the CEO, Erin Gore, in a statement.

Video Credits: 9NEWS/YouTube

WCK has said that it has 500 tons of aid in Cyprus that is all set to dispatch. The charities want to provide aid directly to Gaza, which has been cut off from the entirety of the world after Israel launched its war in response to Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7. Due to a lack of suitable port infrastructure, the WCK stated it was building a landing jetty in Gaza using rubble from collapsed buildings.

This unique endeavour is different from Joe Biden’s concept announced last week, which was to build a temporary port in Gaza to ease humanitarian deliveries by sea. According to WCK’s Andres, the jetty construction was well underway. He said the plan might fail, but the most significant failure would be not trying!

He mentioned posting an image of work with bulldozers levelling out the ground close to the sea. The mission, if successful, would mark the first-ever easing of an Israeli naval blockade that was imposed on Gaza back in 2007 after Hamas had acquired control of this Palestinian enclave. The UN has given its warnings of famine among Gaza’s 2.3 million Palestinians about five months into the ongoing war.

Cyprus stated that the maritime corridor provides a quick way to donate supplies wherever they are required. Cargoes are to undergo security examinations in Cyprus by an expert team, including personnel from Israel, eradicating the requirement for offloading screenings to eliminate probable hold-ups regarding aid deliveries.

Reference: Aljazeera

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