Israel-Hamas war: 'Open Arms', a ship carrying 200 tonnes of aid for Gaza, leaves from Cyprus
Larnaca, Cyprus
An aid ship, which was docked in Cyprus for close to a month, finally set sail for the war-ravaged Gaza Strip on Tuesday (Mar 12). The ship is carrying 200 tonnes of aid in a pilot project to open a sea route to deliver supplies to those impacted by the ongoing war in Gaza.
Several international agencies have warned that the population in Gaza is on the brink of famine and collective effort is required to end fighting.
The charity ship Open Arms was seen leaving Larnaca port in Cyprus, pulling a barge containing wheat, rice, and protein.
A video showed the Spanish-flagged ship departing the Mediterranean island's southern port of Larnaca. However, the time was not revealed.
According to the government officials in Cyprus, the exact timing of the vessel's departure would not be released "for security reasons".
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The mission was mostly funded by the UAE and organised by the United States-based nonprofit World Central Kitchen (WCK).
Also Read:Israel-Hamas war: Netanyahu reacts to perceived tensions between Israel and US
The journey to Gaza takes about 15 hours but a heavy tow barge could make the trip considerably longer, possibly up to two days. Cyprus is just over 320 km north-west of Gaza.
Meanwhile, the US military said its vessel, General Frank S. Besson, was also on the way to provide humanitarian relief to Gaza by sea.
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Earlier on Monday, Greek Cypriot media reported that the Open Arms had been delayed for no other reason than that there was nowhere to land the shipment.
According to Politis, which is a leading daily, "The delay is due to the fact that that a platform [landing point] in Gaza is not yet ready to receive the 150 tonnes of humanitarian help that the vessel is transporting, according to the Cyprus news agency's information."
EU chief thanked the president of Cyprus
Ursula von der Leyen, the EU Commission president, thanked Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides for the island's "leadership in setting up the humanitarian maritime corridor to Gaza".
Taking to her official account on X, the EU chief wrote that "the departure of the first ship is a sign of hope. We will work together for many more ships to follow. We will do everything in our power for aid to reach Palestinians".
(With inputs from agencies)