President Nikos Christodoulides on Tuesday is taking part in an international conference on the humanitarian response to Gaza, being held at the Dead Sea in Jordan.
Government Spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis said in a written statement that the conference will deal with the urgent need for a humanitarian response.
The conference is jointly organised by the King of Jordan, Abdullah II, the President of Egypt Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, and UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres. Leaders of countries in the region, donor countries and heads and representatives of international humanitarian organisations are also attending.
The UN World Food Program (WFP) on Monday announced the suspension of the delivery of aid to Gaza through the temporary US military jetty to assess the security situation.
UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric linked the move to an Israeli hostage rescue operation over the weekend that freed four people but which health officials in Hamas-ruled Gaza said killed 274 people and wounded nearly 700, many of them women and children.
“Our colleagues at the World Food Program tell us that we are temporarily suspending operations at the floating dock until a thorough assessment of the security situation is carried out to ensure the safety of our staff and partners,” Dujarric said.
Dujarric said it was “normal after such an operation with such a high number of casualties” humanitarian aid workers should pause to assess the situation.
“We have all seen what happened in Gaza over the weekend. We have seen some of the media reports. We also took into account the very public statements by US central command that the floating jetty had not been used in the operation by Israeli forces regarding the hostages,” he added.
Elsewhere, Pentagon spokesman Lt. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters on Monday that the Israeli operation took place near the temporary jetty but was completely separate from the aid delivery effort and its equipment and personnel.
He also said a storm again disrupted aid deliveries via the pier shortly after shipments resumed Saturday following repairs to the structure from last month’s storm damage and indicated aid transfer could begin again on Tuesday.
Speaking on the international gathering of states in Jordan, Letymbiotis said its aim […] is to find ways to strengthen the international community’s response to the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Gaza, to outline effective standard measures and procedures for providing all necessary assistance [and] identify operational and logistical needs,” Letymbiotis said.
The spokesperson added that Cyprus had been invited to the conference as a regional state and donor country, as well as the state that drafted, developed and implemented the “Amalthea” initiative for the provision of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
The conference will be preceded by meetings of working groups, in which representatives of the Republic will participate, to examine operational impact and the resources required to maintain aid routes, as well as to establish conditions conducive to the safe delivery of aid and protection of civilians.
This will be followed by a high level meeting to examine policy approaches for the future, after which the conference will wrap up with concluding statements summarising the outcome.
On the sidelines of the conference, Christodoulides will meet with the King of Jordan, to discuss implementation of the summit’s goals and bilateral relations.
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