A ship carrying nearly 200 tonnes of food left the port of Cyprus for the Gaza Strip in the early hours of Tuesday, the 12th of March, starting a pilot project to open a new sea route to deliver aid by sea to people on the brink of famine, reports the British broadcaster BBC.
The Spanish charity ship Open Arms left the port of Larnaca in Cyprus with a cargo of flour, rice and protein, but the exact location where it plans to dock has not been disclosed.
Cypriot officials have stated that the journey across the Eastern Mediterranean to Gaza could take up to two days.
The mission, funded mainly by the United Arab Emirates, is organised by the US-based charity World Central Kitchen (WCK), but the ship was provided by a Spanish charity.
“Our goal is to create a sea route of boats and barges stocked with millions of meals
continuously headed towards Gaza,” WCK founder Jose Andres and Executive Director Erin Gore were quoted as saying in a statement.
The initiative is unrelated to US President Joe Biden’s plan announced last week to build a temporary pier in the Gaza Strip to facilitate the delivery of aid by sea.
The charities plan to deliver aid directly into Gaza, which has been cut off from the outside world since Israel launched its offensive in response to the Hamas attack on Israel on the 7th of October.
In the absence of port infrastructure, WCK has announced that it is building a jetty in Gaza using materials from destroyed buildings and rubble.
The organisation has announced that another 500 tonnes of aid have been stockpiled in Cyprus and will be shipped.
Also read: US to build temporary port for aid deliveries in Gaza
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