First Gaza aid ship leaves Cyprus as famine looms for Palestinians

Pilot project to open a new sea route for relief supplies brings 200 tonnes of food

A ship carrying 200 tonnes of food to Gaza left Cyprus on March 12 in a pilot project to open a new sea route for aid to a population that aid agencies say is on the brink of famine.

The charity ship Open Arms was seen sailing out of Larnaca port in Cyprus, towing a barge containing flour, rice and protein.

The mission was funded mostly by the United Arab Emirates and organised by US-based charity World Central Kitchen (WCK).

The journey to Gaza takes about 15 hours, but a heavy tow barge could make the trip considerably longer, possibly up to two days. Cyprus is just over 320km north-west of Gaza.

The United States military said its vessel, the General Frank S. Besson, was also en route to provide humanitarian relief to Gaza by sea.

With aid agencies saying deliveries into Gaza have been held up by bureaucratic obstacles and insecurity since the start of the war on Oct 7, and even Israel's allies demanding easier aid access to the enclave, attention has shifted towards alternative routes, including by sea and air drops.

Qatar's Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari said on March 12 that negotiators seeking a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which controls Gaza, were not close to a deal.

Washington had said for weeks that it hoped for a truce deal in time for the Ramadan Muslim holy month that began this week, but this has so far failed to materialise, with the sides unable to agree on terms to halt fighting, free hostages and bring in aid.

The mission on March 12 was the culmination of months of preparation by Cyprus, the European Union member state closest to the scene of the hostilities.