After two days of waiting in the Cypriot port of Larnaca, the ship of the Catalan NGO Open Arms loaded with 200 tons of humanitarian aid for the Gaza Strip finally set sail on Tuesday morning with the aim of opening a maritime corridor to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian enclave.
The departure of the first ship that this ship directs to the enclave mired in a serious humanitarian crisis due to the war between Israel and Hamas and the strict Israeli blockade was delayed since Saturday due to various problems related to the unloading and distribution of aid at the destination. . The ship, loaded with boxes of flour, rice and cans of tuna, set sail before eight in the morning.
The mission is part of the World Central Kitchen (WCK) project, by chef José Andrés and has the approval of the Government of Cyprus, Israel and the Palestinian National Authority. However, Hamas has warned Palestinians who cooperate with Israel to ensure security during the unloading of the cargo will be punished. Israel is studying the possibility of arming Palestinian civilians to protect humanitarian aid convoys entering the Gaza enclave.
WCK is cooperating with the Government of the United Arab Emirates, Cyprus and Open Arms to send “the first maritime shipment of humanitarian aid to Gaza,” the NGO said in a statement. In the Palestinian enclave, “WCK has served more than 35 million meals in Gaza since October,” highlights the organization, recalling that “the situation continues to evolve rapidly.” In Gaza, the aid will be received by WCK teams after a journey of one and a half days.
The operation of the two Spanish NGOs began to be planned months ago and the Open Arms ship had been in Cyprus since mid-February to open a maritime corridor with Gaza. Famine threatens the Palestinian population after five months of a military operation that has destroyed the territory.
The United States, which plans to build a dock in Gaza to facilitate the maritime corridor, has supported the initiative. However, the US project has been called a “distraction” by Doctors Without Borders (MSF), an NGO whose staff works inside Gaza. “The US plan to build a temporary dock in Gaza to increase the flow of humanitarian aid is a blatant distraction from the real problem: Israel’s indiscriminate and disproportionate military campaign and its punishing siege,” its executive director, Avril Benoît, denounced on Friday. .
According to MSF, efforts should focus on ensuring access for humanitarian convoys stuck at the Rafah crossing on the border with Egypt. “Rather than turning to the US military to construct an alternative solution, the United States should insist on immediate humanitarian access using roads and entry points that already exist,” he noted. In addition, the French NGO recalled that Washington has vetoed three UN Security Council resolutions that demand a ceasefire, which is “the only way to guarantee a real increase in emergency assistance,” she adds.
