Gaza aid ship proceeding to plan (Updated)

The journey of the aid ship Open Arms is proceeding according to plan, foreign ministry spokesman Theodoros Gotsis said on Wednesday.

The shipment of over 200 tonnes of aid for Gaza, which departed Cyprus on Tuesday morning, is expected to arrive late in the day.

It left Cyprus towing a barge containing flour, rice, and protein. The mission was funded mostly by the United Arab Emirates and US-based charity World Central Kitchen.

The arrival is expected to coincide with the arrival of a US ship that will set up a temporary jetty, by means of which the cargo will be brought ashore.

Speaking to state broadcaster CyBC, Gotsis expressed the hope that the ship will reach its destination as soon as possible based on what was foreseen.

The ship is currently in a maritime zone within the jurisdiction of the Cyprus joint search and rescue coordination centre (JRCC) Gotsis said.

Meanwhile, a teleconference of all partners in the initiative for the ‘Amalthea’ maritime humanitarian corridor to Gaza is taking place on Wednesday.

The meeting is to be held at 7.30pm, attended by representative from Cyprus, the United Nations, the European Union, the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates.

President Nikos Christodoulides announced the meeting and added that Cyprus will host technocrats from all participating countries, so that the next steps can be promoted.

Christodoulides further expressed his satisfaction with the first departure of a ship to Gaza, adding that the effort will continue with the sole goal of providing the humanitarian aid that is so badly needed in the region.

He noted that through the Amalthea initiative, the role of the Republic of Cyprus in the region is recognised.

Meanwhile, the European Commission announced that it had sent five people to Cyprus as part of its operational support for the humanitarian corridor.

“In terms of what we are doing on the ground, we have sent three civil protection experts, a liaison officer, and a transport expert,” said commission spokesman Balas Ujvari.

“These five officials will be in Cyprus supporting the operational side of the ongoing efforts,” he said, adding that commission president Ursula von der Leyen is “considering sending additional assistance”.

However, reaction to maritime aid shipments to Gaza has not been universally glowing.

Amnesty International on Wednesday warned that the corridor “will not be fully operational before several weeks,” and stressed that “families are starving and do not have the time for offshore and onshore infrastructure to be constructed.”

“Saving their lives requires immediately allowing humanitarian trucks full of food and medicine whose entry into Gaza is currently being withheld,” they added.