ANDThe ship of the Spanish NGO Open Arms loaded with 200 tons of humanitarian aid for the Gaza Strip set sail this Tuesday from the Cypriot port of Larnaca, in order to open a maritime corridor to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian enclave.
After several delays since Sundaythe ship set sail shortly before 07:00 GMT this Tuesday, sources from Open Arms and World Central Kitchen (WCK), an NGO founded by Spanish chef José Andrés, informed EFE.
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.
“After weeks of preparation, our team in Cyprus loaded almost 200 tonnes of food onto the Open Arms ship that will deliver desperately needed aid,” he added.
In the Palestinian enclave, “WCK has served more than 35 million meals in Gaza since October”highlights the note, recalling that “the situation continues to evolve rapidly”
In Gaza, the aid will be received by WCK teams to distribute it “immediately to the people of Gaza,” declared activist Juan Camilo in a video posted on WCK's X network.
After having provided humanitarian aid by land and air to the Palestinian population, the NGO today opens “a new route”, he added.
“We are there and we know that there is no help that is enough and we know that we need the most help entering Gaza right now. That's why we hope this ship will be the first of many more,” she declared.
Juan Camilo of WCK is in Larnaca, Cyprus, where @openarms_fund sailed to Gaza with food for Palestinian families on the brink of famine. We have served more than 35 million meals in Gaza and the sea corridor will provide millions more.#ChefsForThePeople pic.twitter.com/wxe0hV4e1l
— World Central Kitchen (@WCKitchen) March 12, 2024
“We are setting sail! The joint OpenArms & WCKitchen mission sets sail from Cyprus and heads to Gaza loaded with 200 tons of food,” Open Arms wrote on its X account (formerly Twitter), where it described it as a “highly complex mission “the initiative to bring aid to Gaza by sea.
“We trust it will be the first of many that will manage to alleviate the humanitarian emergency situation that the population is experiencing,” he highlighted.
⛴️ This is how the joint mission set sail this morning from the port of Larnaca 🇨🇾 #OpenArms and @WCKitchen Course to #Looploaded with 200 tons of food.
🕊️This is how this humanitarian maritime corridor to the Strip began, in a highly complex mission. We trust that this step… pic.twitter.com/ztx1mWaO4n
— Open Arms (@openarms_fund) March 12, 2024
The President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, expressed his hope that the maritime corridor project, nicknamed “Amalthia” and opened today, will be “a lifeline for the Palestinian civilian population.”
“Amalthia's journey is a journey of hope and humanity, and it has only just begun,” wrote the head of the island state in X.
“The first ship has set sail in the context of the Cyprus Maritime Corridor Initiative for humanitarian aid to Gaza. It is a lifeline for the civilian population,” he concluded in his brief message.
The Amalthia journey is one of hope and humanity, and it has only just begun. The first ship in the context of the Cyprus Maritime Corridor Initiative for humanitarian aid to Gaza has sailed. It is a lifeline to civilians. #Amalthia #CyprusMaritimeCorridor
— NikosChristodoulides (@Christodulides) March 12, 2024
The President of the European Commission (EC), Ursula von der Leyyen, thanked Christodoulides for Cyprus' leadership in creating the humanitarian maritime corridor to Gaza and announced that the European Union (EU) will have a coordination team in Cyprus, and will finance and direct the flow of goods.
“The departure of the first ship is a sign of hope. We will work hard together so that many more ships follow. We will do everything in our power to ensure that aid reaches the Palestinians,” promised Von der Leyen, also in X.
According to the head of the community Executive, it is necessary to “use all avenues to reach people in need” in Gaza, where the situation “has reached a critical point.”
Thank you President @christodulides for Cyprus' leadership in setting up the humanitarian maritime corridor to Gaza.
The departure of the first ship is a sign of hope. We will work hard together for many more ships to follow.
We will do everything in our power for help to reach… https://t.co/P7i72ugqqY
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) March 12, 2024
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 and alleviate the harsh humanitarian situation caused by Israel's blockade and its harsh punishment attacks in response to the attacks by the Islamist group Hamas on October 7.
The operation has authorization from the Government of Cyprus, Israel and the Palestinian National Authority, according to Open Arms.
The ship transports about 200 tons of food to the Palestinian enclave, such as flour, rice and cans of tuna for the Palestinian population, threatened by famine after five months of war between Israel and Hamas.
EFE
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