6 hours agoA ship with hundreds of tons of food heads toward Gaza
Periskopi(10 months ago)
(10 months ago)After leaving Cyprus, a ship loaded with 1,200 tons of food supplies for the Gaza Strip has approached the Israeli port of Ashdod on Tuesday, as part of efforts are continuing to alleviate the food crisis on Palestinian territory. The ship, registered in Panama, is loaded with 52 containers of food, such as pasta, [...]
The ship, registered in Panama, is loaded with 52 containers of food, such as pasta, rice, baby food and canned food. Israeli customs officials have checked aid at the Cypriot port of Limassol, from which the ship set sail Monday, follows Periscope.
About 700 tonnes of aid comes from Cyprus, which has been bought with the money donated by the United Arab Emirates through the Amalthea Fund, created last year for donors to help with maritime aid. The rest of the aid comes from Italy, the government of Malta, a Catholic religious order in Malta, and from the nongovernmental organisation from Kuwait, the Al Salaam Association.
Last year Cyprus sent 22,000 tons of relief supplies via ships to Gaza. Reliefs were sent through a port operated by the World Central Kitchen charity and the American Army.
At the end of July last year, relief groups withdrew from the project, ending this mission due to continuing security problems and restrictions on how much aid they could be sent.
Cyprus said the last aid mission is led by the United Nations, and once aid arrives at Ashdown, UN aid workers will carry aid to trucks and food depots or food stations operated by the World Central Kitchen.
Larger amounts of relief supplies can be sent to Gaza through ships, as some countries have recently done.
The latest aid shipments come a day after Hamas the Palestinian group declared terrorist organisation by the United States and the European Union said they have accepted a new proposal by Arab ceasefire mediators. So far, Israel has not approved such a proposal.
Israel has announced plans to regain Gaza City and other populated areas after ceasefire talks were blocked last month, boosting concerns about the possible deterioration of the humanitarian disaster in Gaza.
The war began on October 7, 2023, after Hamas attacked the south of Israel, killing about 1,200 people and kidnapping another 251.
Israeli offensive has killed more than 62,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health, figures that the UN considers reliable. /REL/
