Hamas says maritime aid route for Gaza inadequate, too slow

A ship belonging to the Open Arms aid group with aid on a platform ferrying some 200 tons of rice and flour to Gaza, departs from the port from southern city of Larnaca, Cyprus, March 12, 2024 (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)
A ship belonging to the Open Arms aid group with aid on a platform ferrying some 200 tons of rice and flour to Gaza, departs from the port from southern city of Larnaca, Cyprus, March 12, 2024 (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)

The Hamas terror group says that sending an aid ship from Cyprus to the territory is an inadequate response to the needs of its 2.4 million people.

“According to what was announced, the ship’s cargo does not exceed that of one or two trucks, and it will take days to arrive,” Salama Marouf, a spokesman says in a statement.

He says some logistical questions about the operation were unanswered and raised concerns about Israeli inspections.

“It is still unknown where it will dock and how it will reach the shores of Gaza,” Marouf says. “Moreover, it will be subject to inspection by the occupying army.”

A former salvage vessel run by Spanish charity Open Arms set off from Cyprus early Tuesday towing a barge loaded with 200 tons of aid in a trial run for the maritime corridor.

On Wednesday, the vessel had yet to complete the nearly 400-kilometer (250-mile) crossing of the eastern Mediterranean to Gaza, where US charity World Central Kitchen said work was underway to build a makeshift jetty.

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