The project should contribute to a significant increase in humanitarian aid to the 2.4 million people living in the Gaza Strip, whose European containers and other destinations will be unloaded in Cyprus “under Israeli supervision”.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry announced this Thursday that it had agreed “in principle” to open a humanitarian sea route between the island of Cyprus, the eastern Mediterranean and the Gaza Strip.
“In principle, there is authorization to use this route [marítima]But there are still some practical issues to be resolved,” Israeli ministry spokesman Lior Hayat told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
The project should contribute to a significant increase in humanitarian aid to the 2.4 million people living in the Gaza Strip, whose European containers and other destinations will be unloaded in Cyprus “under Israel's supervision,” he stressed.
The proposal was made by Cyprus several weeks ago, following the outbreak of war on October 7 between Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist movement in power in the Gaza Strip.
Cyprus is 400 kilometers off the coast of the Gaza Strip.
Cited by CNA news agency today, official Cypriot sources said that Nicosia has completed all procedures for the construction of the sea corridor.
However, questions have been raised about the safety and disembarkation arrangements of ships and their crews as they approach the Gaza Strip.
In presenting the plan, Cyprus, a member of the European Union (EU), explained that the aid would be collected and stored on the island and inspected there by a mixed team that included Israeli representatives before being transported by ship.
According to an AFP tally based on the latest official Israeli data, the war in Gaza was sparked by an unprecedented attack by Hamas on Israeli soil, which has left around 1,200 dead, mostly civilians.
In response, Israel vowed to destroy Hamas, bombing the Gaza Strip and launching a ground offensive on October 27.
Since the start of Israeli military operations, 21,320 people have been killed in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas Health Ministry.
AFP stresses that the humanitarian situation in Gaza is catastrophic.
About 1.9 million people, or 85% of the population, were displaced from their homes, the UN said. Basic goods are extremely scarce in the territory, which has been under a total Israeli blockade since October 9.
To date, very little humanitarian aid has been delivered to land through the Rafah crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt.