Shelter material sent from Cyprus via the Amalthea plan, Cyprus‘ humanitarian aid corridor to Gaza, has arrived following cooperation with NGOs on the ground, the foreign ministry said on Saturday.

“Distribution to families is underway while more humanitarian aid is on the way. We will continue our efforts to support civilians on the ground,” the MFA posted on X.

The material was sent in close coordination with The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) and global disaster relief nonprofit organisation All Hands and Hearts.

President Nikos Christodoulides, in an interview with Euronews on Wednesday, elaborated on Cyprus’ six-point plan for Gaza, aimed at enriching US President Donald Trump’s 20-point-peace plan, again reiterating Cyprus’ support for upcoming rebuilding efforts in Gaza.

The plan had first been presented to international leaders at the “Gaza Peace Summit” in Sharm-el-Sheikh earlier this month, and was delivered to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen this week.

Having rebuffed numerous requests for further elaboration on the scheme from several journalists over the past week, Christodoulides eventually outlined the plan’s core objectives during his exclusive interview with Euronews.

The president highlighted Cyprus’ strategic position as a connector between Europe and the Middle East, emphasising that the Republic was ready and willing to act as a link between “all Arab partners in the region”, as well as the EU and the US.

“Our plan is based on our excellent relations with all stakeholders,” he told Euronews.

He placed particular emphasis on the function of the Amalthea corridor, emphasising that it would eventually facilitate the transportation of reconstruction materials and debris from the war-struck territory.

“When (…) the conditions are there, reconstruction should start. And that is why point three of our proposals is the rubble removal and reconstruction enabling. This is the role that Cyprus can play: development of maritime routes for rubble extraction and inbound construction materials into Gaza in order to support Gaza’s rebuilding,” he said.

Cyprus initially proposed the initiative for the humanitarian maritime passageway to the European Council at the end of October 2023, shortly after the war broke out in the region.

Backed by the EU, the UK, the United Arab Emirates and the US, the initiative aimed to “deliver much-needed additional amounts of humanitarian assistance by sea,” and ultimately became operational in March 2024 before being shut down four months later, in July 2024.

According to UN estimates, more than 90 per cent of Gaza’s residential buildings have been damaged or destroyed since October 2023, leaving nearly 50 million tons of rubble, which it is said to take decades to remove.