"We are now very close to the opening of the corridor, hopefully this Sunday. And I'm very glad to see that an initial pilot operation will be launched today," the EU Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, told reporters after touring harbour facilities at the Cypriot port of Larnaca, the departure point for the aid shipments.
A first delivery is expected to set sail today, with a ship operated by a Spanish search and rescue group, Open Arms, taking food provided by the charity World Central Kitchen.
"Today we are facing a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, and we stand by the innocent civilians in Palestine," von der Leyen said.
The EU said the shipments would go straight to Gaza, 210 nautical miles away, but did not say where they would land or unload, or how the food would be distributed from the landing point. It was also unclear what the link was between the weekend shipments and a US plan, announced by Joe Biden on Thursday night, to build a floating dock off the Gaza shore over the next few weeks to receive aid shipments from Cyprus.
Von Der Leyen did not mention the US plan in her remarks in Larnaca, and Biden did not mention this weekend's planned deliveries in his State of the Union speech to Congress.
Yesterday the US, EU and other countries involved in the effort formally announced their backing for the sea aid corridor, built around a proposal developed by Cyprus since November, the Amalthea initiative, outlining a mechanism for carrying out secure shipments to Gaza.
Bu hikaye The Guardian dergisinin March 09, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye The Guardian dergisinin March 09, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
Wall of online rage should not obscure beauty and ugliness
While the authorities have undermined fans’ trust, the truth is at risk of being buried under a mound of tinfoil hats
Surrey worthy winners as Championship takes eye
Nestled within a season of Test triumphs for England, it was atop-of-the-table county clash that truly stole the show
Strike it rich Footballers must find a moral compass before embarking on a journey of unity
IT he distant strains of The Internationale can be heard on the approach to the Etihad Stadium.
Sri Lanka President pledges 'era of renaissance as leftists come in from the cold
As he was sworn in as Sri Lanka's new president yesterday morning, Anura Kumara Dissanayake heralded a \"new era of renaissance\" for the country.
Man reunited with lost family 73 years after he was abducted as a child
A man who was abducted as a sixyear-old while playing in a California park in 1951 has been found more than seven decades later thanks to the help of an online ancestry test, old photos and newspaper clippings.
Veteran activist Fonda issues rallying call to young voters
Young people's unhappiness with the Biden administration's record on oil and gas drilling and the war in Gaza should not deter them from voting to block Donald Trump from the US presidency, the Hollywood actor and activist Jane Fonda has urged.
Ex-partner of Pelicot co-accused fears she was raped
The former partner of a co-defendant in a mass rape trial that has prompted horror and protests in France has broken down in tears and told the court she may herself have been sexually assaulted.
Meloni to be presented with thinktank's global citizen award by Musk
Giorgia Meloni is to be presented with the Atlantic Council's global citizen award by Elon Musk in New York, as the Italian far-right prime minister resurrects links with allies of Donald Trump before the US presidential election.
French interior minister is sign 'reactionary right' are in power, critics warn
The new French interior minister, Bruno Retailleau, has promised to \"restore order\" by cracking down on crime and immigration as critics on the left said the new government was leaning too far towards the \"reactionary right\".
Show puts creator of first UK Holocaust memorial in the spotlight
The work of an overlooked GermanJewish artist who created the UK's first memorial to victims of Nazi persecution is to be the focus of an exhibition that shines light on the unreported aspects of his life.
