First food aid ship leaves for Gaza (ANSA)
By Nathan Morley in Larnaca
Mar 13 2024
A ship carrying aid for Gaza has left Cyprus in a pilot project to open a sea route to deliver supplies.
The lone aid ship, stationed in the eastern port of Larnaca for the last few weeks, finally left her mornings on Tuesday morning.
Having faced a four-day delay due to technical problems, she slowly slipped out of the harbour just after 9.00 am.
The exact sailing time and final destination are unclear; but the journey could take up to 48 hours to complete.
She is carrying approximately 150 tons of humanitarian aid, mostly food; including rice and tinned goods.
As it stands, it remains unclear where the vessel will unload her cargo or how it would be allocated. A small ‘temporary’ structure being towed by the vessel may be utilized as a landing jetty.
Gaza does not have a working harbour, and its shoreline waters are too shallow for most ships.
These plans to link Cyprus and Gaza were first touted several months ago by President Nikos Christodoulides of Cyprus, but until last week, the scheme appeared to have been put on the back boiler.
If this first shipment is successful, more supplies will follow. Shortly after the boat departed, Christodoulides and European Commission President Ursula von den Leyen both described the effort as a mission of hope.
On Friday, Israel’s Foreign Ministry said it supported the aid shipments as long as goods were inspected in accordance with ‘Israeli standards’ before leaving Cyprus.
The most crucial task is moving this idea toward a relatively full‐scale operation. It is reported in the Cypriot media that a second aid ship is now preparing to make the same trip at some time in the near future. – Vatican News
