ALBAWABA - A second cargo of food aid was set to sail from Cyprus to Gaza on Saturday, the island's president announced, following the arrival of a first aid shipment in the besieged enclave the night before.
Almost 200 tons of food arrived in the enclave late Friday, marking the first cargo through a new relief route to the Gaza Strip, which has been decimated by five months of fighting.
"The first ship has started its return to Cyprus, and we are ready to dispatch the second ship," Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides told journalists.
World Central Kitchen (WCK), a US-based charity that organized the trip with the UAE and Spanish organization Open Arms with Cypriot government assistance, said the fresh shipment included pallets of canned goods and bulk materials.
WCK added the second boat also has two forklifts and a crane to help with future maritime deliveries to Gaza. According to the statement, a crew ship with eight people would follow the cargo boat to run the machinery and unload the aid.
During the first mission, the charity unloaded aid onto a makeshift jetty WCK constructed from the rubble of demolished buildings.
“Hopefully, this corridor we open today will be a pathway alongside the terrestrial ones to alleviate hunger, relieve suffering, and restore humanity to the civilian population,” Open Arms, which provided the ship, said on Friday on X.
Al-Aqsa Flood operation against Israel
Hamas military group announced on Oct. 7 a military operation called "Al-Aqsa Flood" against Israel which is the biggest offensive in decades.
Palestinian fighters “infiltrated” Israel from the Gaza Strip and captured military bases and took hostages as photos and videos went viral online showing Hamas fighters on vehicles inside Israel and others paragliding into occupation territory.
In response, Israeli armed forces announced targeting Hamas positions inside the Gaza Strip. Thousands were killed, and dozens of thousands of others were injured in the Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip.
The latest statistics by the Ministry of Health in Gaza revealed that the death toll from Israeli brutal pounding on the Gaza Strip since October 7 has soared to 31,500+ people, with more than 73,546+ injuries.
Since then, approximately 85% of Gazans have been displaced, all of whom are suffering from severe food insecurity, and the healthcare system has collapsed. Hundreds of thousands of people lack shelter, and aid trucks are entering the area at a lower rate than before the conflict began.
