Seaborne aid to be sent from Cyrus to Gaza

The Open Arms rescue ship, owned by a Spanish NGO, docked at a port in the coastal town of Larnaca, about 338 km (215 miles) from Gaza.

The ship will tow a barge carrying 200 tonnes of food from the charity World Central Kitchen (WCK), largely funded by the UAE, and deliver it to Gaza.

Aid for Gaza residents is loaded onto a barge at Larnaca port, Cyrus on March 9. Photo: Reuters

President Cyrus Nikos Christodoulides, who has been lobbying for months, told reporters: "In the next 24 hours, the ship will depart from Larnaca. I cannot reveal the exact time for security reasons."

The European Commission said the maritime aid corridor between Cyrus and Gaza could begin operating as early as this weekend, part of a pilot project run by the World Trade Center (WCK) and funded by the UAE.

A WCK spokesman said the ship would depart “as soon as possible, if conditions are favorable.” The journey from Larnaca to Gaza is estimated to take 15 hours by sea, but towing by barge could make the journey longer.

The maritime corridor from Cyrus will help increase aid supplies to people on the brink of famine in Gaza after five months of Israel-Hamas conflict.

“WCK and its partners agree that more than one ship will be needed and are working towards a continuous flow of aid,” WCK and Open Arms said in a statement, adding that another 500 tonnes of aid was ready to follow the initial shipment.

Gaza's port has been under a naval blockade by Israel since 2007, when Hamas took control of the enclave. Since then, very few people have arrived directly by sea. Larnaca port was used by pro-Palestinian activists to bring small boats into Gaza in 2008.

Ngoc Anh (according to Reuters)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/hang-vien-tro-duong-bien-sap-duoc-gui-tu-cyrus-den-gaza-post287360.html