Aid reaches shore in Gaza after first sea delivery

The US charity behind the mission, World Central Kitchen, is carrying out the mission in co-operation with the United Arab Emirates. The shipment contained 200 tonnes of food desperately needed for Gaza, which the UN says is on the brink of famine. Aid agencies have accused Israel of impeding aid deliveries, a charge vehemently denied. The shipment arrived on board Spanish charity ship Open Arms.

Its cargo includes beans, carrots, canned tuna, chickpeas, canned corn, parboiled rice, flour, oil, salt and pallets of dates. More than 31,400 people have been killed in Gaza since then, the Hamas-run health ministry says. José Andrés says all the food aid from the barge had been loaded into 12 lorries. Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said troops had been deployed to secure the shoreline.

This delivery has been highly anticipated since the ship set off from the port of Larnaca on Tuesday. The World Food Programme had to temporarily pause its land deliveries after convoys came under gunfire and looting. The White House says it could see two million meals a day enter Gaza. The ships would use a newly opened sea route to travel directly to the region.

Separately, the US is planning to build its own floating dock off the coast to boost sea deliveries. The UN has warned that famine is almost inevitable in Gaza without urgent action. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has accused Israel of using starvation as a weapon of war. Israeli army has continued its attacks across the Gaza Strip with reports of at least 36 people killed after a house near the Nuseirat refugee camp.