Maritime corridor to Gaza to begin at weekend – Von der Leyen
Ursula von der Leyen has unveiled plans to launch a maritime aid corridor bound for Gaza, which may kick off operations as soon as this weekend, with a trial shipment potentially departing from Cyprus by Friday.
This announcement comes in the wake of the United States’ declaration of its intention to set up a temporary port in Gaza.
The United Nations has emphasized the urgent need for intervention, citing the dire situation in Gaza where a quarter of the population faces famine, and children are suffering from starvation.
Israel denies impeding aid efforts and instead accuses aid organizations of mismanagement in distribution. In her address in Cyprus regarding the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Ms. von der Leyen stressed the importance of the sea corridor in facilitating the delivery of substantial additional aid to the region.
The inaugural aid shipment will be carried out in collaboration with the United Arab Emirates and the World Central Kitchen aid organization.
In related developments, President Biden announced on Thursday that the US military would construct a pier to streamline the transfer of supplies from ships at sea to the shore. However, US officials caution that establishing this infrastructure will likely take “several weeks.”
The operation – which he said would not include US troops on the ground in Gaza – would enable large ships to deliver food, water, medicine, and temporary shelters. Initial shipments would arrive via Cyprus, where Israeli security inspections will take place.
Mr. Biden said the pier would enable a “massive difference” in the amount of aid reaching Gaza but added that Israel must “do its part” by allowing more aid to enter into the territory and to “ensure that humanitarian workers aren’t caught in the crossfire”.
“Humanitarian assistance cannot be a secondary consideration or a bargaining chip,” he said.
A joint statement from the European Commission, Cyprus, the US, the UK, and UAE said operating a sea corridor would be “complex” and they would continue to press Israel to expand the delivery of aid by road, “insisting that it facilitate more routes and open additional crossings”.
“Protecting civilian lives is a key element of international humanitarian law that must be respected,” the statement said.
Aid lorries have been entering the south of Gaza through the Egyptian-controlled Rafah crossing and the Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom. But the north, which was the focus of the first phase of the Israeli ground offensive, has been largely cut off from assistance in recent months.
An estimated 300,000 Palestinians are living there with little food or clean water.
Last week more than 100 people were killed trying to reach an aid convoy amid the growing desperation. Palestinians said most were shot by Israeli troops. The Israeli military, which was overseeing the private aid deliveries, said most were killed in a stampede.
The US and other nations have resorted to dropping aid in by air – but humanitarian organizations say that method is a last resort and cannot meet the soaring need.
Israel’s military launched an air and ground campaign in Gaza after Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 253 others were taken hostage.
More than 30,800 people have been killed in Gaza since then, the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry says.
