On video: Biden in a message to Israel: Humanitarian aid to Gaza cannot be a bargaining chip/photo: Reuters
The first ship on the maritime humanitarian route from Cyprus to Gaza is expected to leave next week.
The move will be financed by the United Arab Emirates and carried out by the "World Central Kitchen" organization of the famous American chef Jose Andres.
This is a separate move from the American initiative to establish a temporary pier in front of Gaza.
However, making the first voyage will be a test of the maritime route, to test its efficiency and the problems that still need to be solved.
The food will be loaded on a ship belonging to a Spanish humanitarian organization called "Yadim Open", which will sail from Larnaca.
When the ship approaches the shore, it will transfer the equipment to the shore in the northern Gaza Strip using an amphibious lander.
The move is coordinated with Israel, which will secure the landing of the equipment, and with the United Nations, which will handle its unloading and transfer to the northern Gaza Strip by trucks. "We are working to complete this urgently," Anders said. "We must try.
If we succeed, everyone will benefit."
UAE Ambassador to Washington Yusuf Al-Otaiba said that the humanitarian mission that Anders and his organization want to carry out is critical. "A sea route is the only way to deliver large amounts of aid to Gaza.
All parties should support this mission," he said.
The President of Cyprus and the President of the European Commission Ossula von der Leyen inspect the port of Larnaca from which the ships left for Gaza, March 8, 2024/Reuters
The White House published today (Friday) a joint statement on behalf of the United States, the European Commission, Germany, Cyprus, the Netherlands, Greece, Italy, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom, announcing the formation of a coalition of countries that will work to open a maritime corridor to transfer aid to the Gaza Strip from Cyprus
. to act together, to deliver aid to Gaza by sea in cooperation with the United Nations. The efforts of the United Arab Emirates will be reflected in the delivery of initial aid to Gaza by sea," the statement said.
The joint announcement also states that Cyprus will soon convene a meeting of senior representatives from all the countries participating in the initiative, to discuss speeding up the process.
"These efforts will be coordinated with the Israeli government," the statement said.
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Foreign Ministry spokesman Lior Hait said that Israel welcomes the launch of the maritime corridor from Cyprus to the Gaza Strip.
"The Cypriot initiative will allow for an increase in humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, after a security check according to Israeli standards," said Hait.
"It is very important for more countries to join the Cypriot initiative and the international effort to transfer aid."
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