Food aid backed by UAE could leave Cyprus for Gaza by sea: EU

The head of the European Commission said on Friday a maritime aid corridor could start operating between Cyprus and Gaza this weekend, part of accelerating Western efforts to relieve the humanitarian crisis in the war-ravaged Palestinian enclave.

Ursula von der Leyen’s comments came a day after President Joe Biden announced plans for the US military to build a “temporary pier” on Gaza’s Mediterranean coast, amid UN warnings of famine among the territory’s 2.3 million people.

Negotiations on a possible ceasefire in Israel’s war against Hamas, now in its fifth month, remained deadlocked in Cairo, while the UN human rights office urged Israel not to extend its military offensive into the border town of Rafah, saying this would cause a further “massive loss of life.”

EU Commission President von der Leyen said a pilot test run of food aid collected by a charity group and supported by the UAE could be leaving Cyprus as early as Friday.

“We are launching this Cyprus maritime corridor together, the European Union, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States,” she said after visiting facilities in Larnaca, Cyprus. “We are now very close to opening this corridor, hopefully this Saturday-Sunday and I’m very glad to see an initial pilot will be launched today.”

A joint communique issued on Friday by the UAE, EU, the US, Britain and others said: “The humanitarian situation in Gaza is dire, with innocent Palestinian families and children desperate for basic necessities. That is why today, the European Commission, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, the Republic of Cyprus, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States announce our intent to open a maritime corridor to deliver much-needed additional amounts of humanitarian assistance by sea.

Ursula von der Leyen speaks during a press conference. File photo

Cyprus’ leadership in establishing the Amalthea Initiative-which outlines a mechanism for securely shipping aid from Cyprus to Gaza via sea-was integral to enabling this joint effort to launch a maritime corridor. Together, our nations intend to build on this model to deliver significant additional aid by sea, working in coordination with UN Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza Sigrid Kaag - who is charged with facilitating, coordinating, monitoring, and verifying the flow of aid into Gaza under UN Security Council Resolution 2720. The dedicated efforts of the UAE to mobilise support for the Initiative will result in the initial shipment of food by sea to the people of Gaza.

Cyprus will soon convene senior officials to discuss how we can accelerate this maritime channel supporting those in need, supplementing land and air routes, including from Egypt and Jordan. The United States announced an emergency mission led by the US military to establish a temporary pier in Gaza, in coordination with humanitarian partners and other countries, to enable the delivery of significant quantities of assistance by sea. These efforts will be closely coordinated with the Government of Israel.

The delivery of humanitarian assistance directly to Gaza by sea will be complex, and our nations will continue to assess and adjust our efforts to ensure we deliver aid as effectively as possible. This maritime corridor can-and must-be part of a sustained effort to increase the flow of humanitarian aid and commercial commodities into Gaza through all possible routes. We will continue to work with Israel to expand deliveries by land, insisting that it facilitate more routes and open additional crossings to get more aid to more people. We affirm that protecting civilian lives is a key element of international humanitarian law that must be respected. And together, we must all do more to ensure aid gets to people who desperately need it.”

‘WE DON’T NEED AID FROM THEM:’ The Palestinian Authority also welcomed Biden’s comments, but reaction among ordinary Palestinians was much less positive.

The delivery of humanitarian assistance directly to Gaza by sea will be complex.

“Instead of telling us they will build a port to help us, stop (providing) the weapons they throw at us,” said Hassan Maslah, a displaced Palestinian from Khan Younis now sheltering in Rafah.

“All these American weapons are killing our kids, and killing us wherever we go. We don’t need aid from them, we need them to stop the killing, stop the death,” he said, as Gazans sifted through rubble nearby after another Israeli airstrike.

Hamas has not yet responded to requests for comment on the US plan.

AID AIRDROP KILLS 5: Five Palestinians were killed and several were wounded when boxes of aid dropped by planes fell on them by mistake in northwest Gaza on Friday, said Mahmoud Basal, spokesman of the Civil Emergency Service in Gaza.

Some footage showed dozens of people running as the boxes were dropped, shouting to one another to avoid the boxes.

Separately, Palestinian health officials said eight people of the same family had been killed in an Israeli air strike on their house in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.

WAM / Agencies