Athens, Mar. 12, (dpa/GNA) – The Open Arms ship carrying aid for the Gaza Strip has departed from the Cypriot port of Larnaca for the embattled Palestinian coastal area after a long delay, a spokesman for the Cypriot government told dpa on Tuesday.
The vessel, which is pulling a platform loaded with some 200 tons of drinking water, medication and food, was originally due to set sail at the weekend.
The Open Arms non-governmental organization published a video on X, formerly Twitter, showing the vessel as it was about to leave the harbour.
The humanitarian situation in Gaza, where the Israeli army and fighters from the Palestinian extremist organization Hamas have been engaged in fierce fighting since the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, is considered catastrophic and the Open Arms aid delivery is part of efforts to bring much needed relief to the starving population.
The trip is a test drive along the route of a planned aid corridor by sea announced by EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulidis last Friday in Larnaca.
Larnaca is around 400 kilometres away from the Gaza Strip and the voyage carries risks, including strong winds that often blow in the eastern Mediterranean.
It was initially unclear where exactly the ship would land in Gaza and how the aid would reach the people. Only a small fishing harbour is available for unloading, but it is not deep enough for cargo ships.
The US military plans to set up a temporary harbour together with international partners, but says it will take two months to build.
The humanitarian situation of the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip has been worsening dramatically for weeks, with a critical shortage of basic necessities.
The Gaza war was triggered by a massacre carried out by terrorists from Hamas and other extremist groups in southern Israel on October 7.
More than 1,200 people were killed on the Israeli side and some 240 were kidnapped and taken to Gaza. Israel responded with massive air strikes and a ground offensive.
According to the Hamas-controlled health ministry in Gaza, more than 31,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed since the start of the war.
GNA