A crucial shipment of food aid destined for Gaza has finally departed from Cyprus, weeks after humanitarian efforts in the besieged enclave were severely disrupted following a deadly Israeli airstrike. The ship, carrying 400 tons of food aid, is expected to arrive at Israel's Ashdod port, where it will undergo security clearance before being transported to Gaza.
The shipment is a joint effort between the United Arab Emirates and the American Near East Refugee Aid (ANERA) agency. The UAE has partnered with ANERA to send critical assistance to Gaza via the Israeli port of Ashdod, following a temporary halt in aid deliveries due to the deadly airstrike that killed seven World Central Kitchen (WCK) workers.
The incident caused an international uproar against Israel, which took responsibility for the deaths. The UAE official said that the nation "aims to provide life-saving aid to the people of Gaza" and that the first window of opportunity for the trucks to depart from Kerem Shalom would likely be Wednesday morning.
The ship, called "Jennifer," departed Larnaca Port in Cyprus at 9 a.m. local time and will take around 25 to 30 hours to arrive at Ashdod port. From there, it will be loaded onto trucks that will then go south to the Kerem Shalom border crossing before entering Gaza.
ANERA's emergency response team lead in the West Bank, Mohenad Itayim, said that the 400 tons of aid would undergo Israeli security clearance upon arrival. He added that the aid agency is hopeful that the Erez crossing into Gaza will open in a week to 10 days, allowing for a more direct route.
Once the aid enters Gaza, Itayim said that ANERA's teams on the ground, supported by members of the community and vetted by ANERA, will physically distribute the aid. The organization is coordinating with the Israeli Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT).
The plan is for most of the food aid to be delivered to northern Gaza, but Itayim said that depending on the security situation, ANERA might consider sending a shipment to the south as well.
The UAE has delivered more than 31,000 tons of urgent supplies, including food, relief, and medical items, dispatched through 249 flights, 38 airdrops, 1,160 trucks, and three ships. The country continues to explore "all avenues" to maximize the delivery of aid to the strip.
News of the ship's departure came hours after Britain's Royal Navy announced that its support ship "RFA Cardigan Bay" had set sail from Cyprus to support international efforts to build a temporary pier off the coast of Gaza. The United States has already begun construction of the pier, intended to help deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza.
The UK ship will provide "accommodation for hundreds of US sailors and soldiers working to establish the pier," according to a statement from the Royal Navy. UK Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said, "It is critical we establish more routes for vital humanitarian aid to reach the people of Gaza."
British forces have been working with American teams in the US, as well as Cyprus, to "jointly develop the safest and most effective maritime route." A senior US military official confirmed that "we are on track to begin delivery of humanitarian assistance to Gaza from the sea in early May."
In Gaza, aid has slowly trickled in, but aid agencies say it's nowhere near enough to provide adequate relief for destitute Palestinians. "People need food assistance every day, and we're able to take in trucks every day, but not enough," said Matthew Hollingworth from the World Food Programme.
All 2.2 million people in Gaza do not have enough food to eat, with half of the population on the brink of starvation and famine projected to arrive in the north "anytime between mid-March and May," according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC).
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