Different paths are being taken in the face of the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip. A second boat left the port of Larnaca on Saturday, taking a maritime corridor between the island of Cyprus and the Palestinian enclave to deliver aid to the Palestinian territory on the verge of famine, noted an AFP journalist. The “Jennifer” is part of a flotilla carrying around 400 tonnes of aid, chartered by the NGOs World Central Kitchen and Open Arms.
The ship, accompanied by two tugboats, will take around 65 hours to reach the Gaza Strip, where Israel and the Islamist movement Hamas have been waging a devastating war for almost six months, according to the Cypriot press agency.
Shipments inspected by Israeli agents
The American NGO World Central Kitchen specified that the cargo contained food products, such as rice, pasta, flour, vegetables and proteins. For its part, the United Arab Emirates provided a shipment of dates, which are traditionally eaten to break the fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
The aid should be transported to Gaza via a temporary jetty built by World Central Kitchen southwest of the city where a first boat unloaded its cargo in mid-March under the supervision of the Israeli army. These aid shipments by sea are inspected on departure from Larnaca by Israeli agents.
The first ship from the Spanish NGO Open Arms left Larnaca on March 12, loaded with some 200 tons of foodstuffs, notably rice and vegetables.