Gaza aid ship yet to leave Cyprus

A charity leading the mission said it hoped the ship, Open Arms, would set sail soon. The sighting of the new moon marked the start of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan in Gaza. A ceasefire remains off the table as indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas have largely stalled. UK Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron said the UK, US and EU were continuing to urge Israel to allow more trucks into Gaza.

He also said Israel should open its container port at Ashdod, north of Gaza, to receive aid shipments from Cyprus until a sea corridor is up and running. The Open Arms mission is separate to US plans to start building a floating dock off the coast of Gaza to help get aid deliveries in by sea. Israel denies impeding the entry of aid or its distribution inside Gaza, and blames UN agencies on the ground for failing to get the aid that is allowed in. The boat will tow a barge loaded with 200 tonnes of food, including rice, flour and cans of meat and fish.

The voyage is expected to take about 50 hours. The food is being supplied by the World Central Kitchen (WCK), a US charity founded by Spanish celebrity chef José Andrés. Aid trucks have been entering Gaza through the Rafah crossing with Egypt and the Kerem Shalom crossing with Israel. On Friday, there were reports that five people had been killed by a falling aid package when its parachute failed to open properly.

Independent UN human rights expert Michael Fakhri said the US military operation would not prevent starvation. Two Israeli-controlled crossing points in northern Gaza have been closed since Hamas gunmen attacked southern Israel on 7 October. About 300,000 people are estimated to be living with very little food and water. Palestinians said they hoped the Islamic holy month of Ramadan could bring an end to war.

US President Joe Biden said the suffering of Palestinians would be front of mind. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres also marked the beginning of the holy month. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu repeated his intent to send troops into Rafah in southern Gaza, where well over a million people have been displaced. Israel launched an air and ground campaign in Gaza after Hamas attacks on Israel on 7 October.

More than 31,100 people have been killed in Gaza since then, the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry says. He said Israel had destroyed three-quarters of Hamas#38; fighting battalions.

Read More