Aid sent from Cyprus reaches needy Palestinians (updated)

Around 200 tonnes of food and aid were distributed to the population in northern Gaza on Tuesday, three days after the Open Arms ship successfully unloaded its cargo after leaving from Cyprus.

“The aid went to families facing starvation in areas largely cut off by the war,” the NGO behind the operation, World Central Kitchen, said in a post on Facebook.

One of the coordinating officers for WCK Juan Camilo said that the NGO “will eventually be able to provide huge quantities of food daily into the shores of Gaza.

“Still, much more needs to be done,” Camilo said in a post. “A ceasefire and opening of as many land crossings as possible are the best ways to ensure Palestinians get the meals and water they need.”

The aid was taken on the first boat to have reached the shore of Gaza through the humanitarian aid corridor from Cyprus called Amalthea

Meanwhile, preparations have been completed and a second vessel, Jennifer, loaded with around 500 tonnes of aid – sugar, flour, pasta, canned food and milk and a crane that will make unloading the aid easier – is ready to leave Cyprus’ shores as soon as weather conditions permit, government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis said on Tuesday.

Speaking on CyBC radio, Letymbiotis stressed that at the moment, the challenge is to continue and intensify the flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Later on, he said that the Jennifer cargo “has already been loaded and necessary checks have been conducted according to the agreed protocols”.

Letymbiotis also commented on Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos’ statements on Monday, as he announced that representatives from over 40 countries will meet in Cyprus on Thursday to discuss the operational coordination of the next steps regarding the aid corridor to the Gaza Strip.

“The meeting is mostly aimed at countries that have not publicly expressed interest in taking part in the humanitarian initiative yet,” Letymbiotis explained.

“Our government is in constant communication with the European Union, as the logistical preparations and obstacles to transport humanitarian aid need the best technical support available.

“The scale of humanitarian aid needed by the civilian population in Gaza today requires the contribution of many states. No state can handle it alone, especially Cyprus,” Letymbiotis said.

The first shipment of 200 tonnes of aid arrived in Gaza last week and was safely distributed, Kombos said during the Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Brussels.

During the meeting, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who took part via teleconference, thanked Cyprus for its contribution to the humanitarian corridor to Gaza.

He also confirmed that the US will be represented at Thursday’s meeting by the Chief of Staff for the National Security Council (NSC) Curtis Reid.

“The international meeting of experts will significantly increase the capabilities of transportation and distribution of humanitarian aid, while the creation of a fund for financing the project will also be discussed,” Blinken said.