Second aid ship prepares to depart Cyprus port for Gaza carrying 240 tons of supplies

A second ship loaded with aid for Gaza could depart as early as Saturday, Cyprus says, as the first vessel returned from the war-ravaged territory after successfully delivering its cargo.

The Jennifer is set “to depart for Gaza today or tomorrow,” foreign ministry spokesperson Theodoros Gotsis tells state radio.

The maritime aid corridor from Cyprus is meant to at least partly address stark shortages in Gaza after more than five months of war, as UN agencies warn of looming famine and Israel faces increasing pressure to allow more aid into the Palestinian enclave.

Earlier on Saturday, the US charity World Central Kitchen said its team had finished unloading food and other desperately needed supplies from the barge towed by Spanish aid vessel Open Arms, which left Cyprus on Tuesday in a trial run for the aid corridor.

“All cargo was offloaded and is being readied for distribution in Gaza,” World Central Kitchen said in a statement, noting it included “almost 200 tons of food.”

The second vessel was expected to carry 240 tons of food, World Central Kitchen said.

The cargo will include “pallets of canned goods and bulk product including beans, carrots, canned tuna, chickpeas, canned corn, parboiled rice, flour, oil and salt,” the charity says.

It will also include a forklift and a crane to assist with deliveries.

The United Arab Emirates has sent “a special load of 120 [kilograms of] fresh dates,” it adds.