An aid ship loaded with 200 tonnes of essential food supplies, aimed at mitigating the looming famine in the Gaza Strip, remained docked in Cyprus on Sunday night. This delay comes as the urgency to provide maritime aid builds amid stalled ceasefire talks and the onset of Ramadan.
When will the vessel depart?
According to Cyprus government spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis, the vessel’s departure schedule would not be disclosed for security reasons.
However, reports indicate that “technical issues” might further postpone its departure until Monday morning.
As per The Guardian, the World Central Kitchen (WCK), along with the Spanish charity Open Arms, had coordinated the delivery of rice, flour, lentils, beans, and canned fish and meat via an Open Arms vessel from Larnaca to Gaza. Most of this aid, as per Reuters, is funded by the UAE.
However, as of Sunday evening, the boat remained anchored in Cyprus. Letymbiotis said that the cargo had undergone inspection by Cypriot officials under an Israel-approved plan.
Although WCK spokesperson Linda Roth refrained from providing detailed logistical information due to the “evolving and fluid situation,” she mentioned that Open Arms, accompanied by a barge, would set sail at the earliest opportunity.
Roth also said that the charities were prepared to dispatch an additional 500 tonnes of aid, funded by the UAE, with preparations underway for a floating jetty to receive the aid.
Gaza and humanitarian aid
As the humanitarian crisis in Gaza builds in desperation, international players, as per media reports, have been scrambling to find alternative routes to supply aid.
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The delay in the aid ship’s departure underscores the challenges of delivering assistance to Gaza via unconventional means.
The shallow waters along the Gaza Strip shoreline and the lack of functioning ports pose significant obstacles to maritime operations. It also raises uncertainties about how the new “sea highway” will impact the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza.
US’ temporary pier
Officials in Washington, as per the report, have disclosed that a US military vessel carrying equipment for constructing a secondary temporary pier in Gaza was en route to the Mediterranean. However, they cautioned that it could take weeks before the facility became operational.
Israel has faced repeated allegations of inadequate facilitation of humanitarian aid to Gaza’s population of 2.3 million.
This ‘open arms’ mission, if successful, would effectively signal the first easing of an Israeli naval blockade imposed on Gaza in 2007 after Hamas took control of the Palestinian enclave.
(With inputs from agencies)
