From the Liveblog of
Friday, March 15, 2024
Aid supply ship from Cyprus reaches Gaza coast but weather slows delivery
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A ship towing a barge loaded with food arrived off Gaza today, witnesses say, in a test run for a new aid route by sea from Cyprus into the devastated Palestinian enclave where famine looms after five months of Israel’s military campaign.
The ship, arranged by the World Central Kitchen (WCK) charity, is carrying nearly 200 tons of aid to be delivered via a jetty being prepared in Gaza, with a second ship expected to sail soon.
Floating on a barge attached by rope to a salvage ship, rough seas appeared to slow down the cargo reaching land, footage posted by a WCK official on social media showed.
WCK has been constructing a makeshift jetty which would allow the flat-bottomed barge to approach Gaza’s shallow waters for lack of proper port infrastructure.
“So far 2 crates already delivered from the barge,” WCK founder Jose Andres, a Michelin-starred chef, says in a post on X. “But still more to do next few (h)ours.”
The IDF confirms the WCK aid boat arrived a short while ago at the Gaza coast after it had undergone a “comprehensive security check.”
115 tons of food and water from the barge were offloaded to 12 trucks, which will be distributed in northern Gaza by WCK, the IDF says.
In a statement to The Times of Israel, the IDF says the delivery of the aid is being “carried out in coordination and subject to an agreement with the civilian company.”
“We emphasize that the entry of humanitarian aid does not constitute a violation of the maritime security blockade,” the IDF adds.
There are few details on how the aid delivery and distribution will work once it is ready to unload in Gaza, with UN relief agencies having described huge obstacles to getting relief supplies to those in need.
If the new sea route is successful, it may help to ease the hunger crisis affecting Gaza, where much of the population faces malnourishment and hospitals in the worst-stricken northern areas have reported children dying of starvation.
However, bringing in aid by sea and through airdrops will not be enough to make up for difficulties getting in supplies by land, aid agencies have repeatedly said.
The Times of Israel Community.