Aid ship’s cargo successfully unloaded in Gaza (Updated)

The almost 200 tonnes of humanitarian aid transported from Cyprus to Gaza on the ship the Open Arms have been successfully unloaded in Gaza, the Cypriot government said on Saturday.

Speaking to the Cyprus News Agency (CNA), foreign ministry spokesman Theodoros Gotsis said the unloading of cargo from the ship had been “completed successfully”, and that the Open Arms is now expected to return to Cyprus.

The ship left from the port of Larnaca on Tuesday before being visible off the coast of Gaza all day on Friday, and eventually being unloaded.

President Nikos Christodoulides said on Saturday he is “glad” that the Amalthea initiative, the name given to Cyprus’ humanitarian aid corridor to Gaza, “is receiving this international recognition.”

To this end, he said that he and his Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos had held telephone calls with “many countries” with the aim of “further strengthening the aid offering.”

“The goal is to provide as much humanitarian aid as possible and within this framework we are working with several countries,” he said.

In addition, he said the government will set up a “special fund” to which countries which wish to contribute financially to the purchase of humanitarian aid can do so.

Deputy government spokesman Yiannis Antoniou had told the Cyprus Mail on Friday that the plans were to leave the aid on a floating platform which travelled with the ship. That floating platform was to be brought ashore by the Israelis.

Meanwhile, in Larnaca, a second ship named the Jennifer was due to set sail for Gaza on Friday but has also been delayed.

Juan Camilo of coordinating charity the World Central Kitchen posted a video to X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, in the early hours of Saturday morning, showing cargo being loaded onto the Jennifer.

Gotsis told CNA that the ship is now expected to leave either on Saturday or on Sunday.

On Friday, World Central Kicthen founder Jose Andres had said the ship’s arrival would be evidence of “the power of heart, humanitarianism, and action.”

He said there will be “millions of meals for Gaza” delivered via the corridor.

The Amalthea initiative was also the focus of a discussion between President Nikos Christodoulides and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte during a phone conversation that took place on Friday.

The Netherlands is among the countries that have expressed interest in participating in the project.

During their conversation, Christodoulides briefed Rutte on the developments regarding the maritime corridor and the ongoing efforts to send humanitarian aid from Cyprus to Gaza.

According to government spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis, Rutte conveyed his government’s interest in participating in the project, as well as the Netherlands’ desire and intention to assist the initiative through technical support.

Rutte added that for this purpose representatives of the Dutch government will visit Cyprus next Tuesday.