An aid ship carrying 200 tonnes of food to alleviate looming famine in the Gaza Strip remained docked in Cyprus on Sunday night, despite the push for maritime aid in the face of stalling ceasefire talks and thegovernment spokesperson, Konstantinos Letymbiotis, told the island’s official news agency the exact timing of the vessel’s departure would not be made public for “security reasons”. It was later reported that due to “technical difficulties” it may not depart until Monday morning.
The WCK spokesperson Linda Roth declined to go into the “full logistical information”, citing an “evolving and fluid situation”, but said Open Arms, towing a barge, would embark as soon as possible. The charities were ready to send another 500 tonnes of aid, funded by the UAE, she added, and work had begun on Sunday on a floating jetty where the aid can be received.
Israel said it welcomed the sea deliveries and would inspect Gaza-bound cargo before it left the staging area in nearby Cyprus. The most devastating violence in the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was sparked by Hamas’s unprecedented 7 October attack on Israel in which, according to Israeli figures, about 1,200 people were killed and another 250 abducted.