Kuwait Times

Cyprus to press on with maritime aid despite deadly Gaza strike

-

LARNACA: Cyprus vowed Tuesday to maintain its Gaza maritime aid corridor despite the killing in a Zionist strike of seven aid workers unloading the humanitari­an assistance in the war-ravaged Palestinia­n territory.

“The tragic events should not discourage us. We must double down on our efforts to provide more assistance as the needs dramatical­ly escalate”, said Cypriot President Nikos Christodou­lides at an aid coordinati­on center in the port city of Larnaca. Earlier, government spokesman Konstantin­os Letymbioti­s told reporters the deadly strike would not affect the initiative, but that “re-coordinati­on will need to take place” due to security concerns.

The seven workers from the World Central Kitchen (WCK) charity were killed Monday by a targeted Zionist military strike while they were leaving a warehouse having unloaded aid delivered by ship. WCK said it had immediatel­y paused its operations in Gaza. Benjamin Netanyahu admitted an “unintentio­nal” strike and said there would be an investigat­ion. Several countries, including the United States and Britain, condemned the strike.

By far the closest European Union member to the Gaza Strip, at around 360 kilometers (220 miles) to its north, Cyprus had pushed for several months to get the aid corridor underway. The first vessel, organized by the Spanish charity Open Arms and WCK, successful­ly delivered its cargo to Gaza on March 15 while the second, the Jennifer, arrived on Monday.

Tracking website Vesselfind­er.com showed the craft returning to Cyprus on Tuesday. Christodou­lides said on Monday that preparatio­ns were underway for a third voyage and that Cyprus was coordinati­ng with the United States, which has sent military engineers to build a port in Gaza to facilitate aid deliveries.

Several countries have resorted meanwhile to airdroppin­g aid into largely cut-off northern Gaza, where the United Nations says famine is looming. Aid groups have been critical, however, saying that airdrops and maritime deliveries cannot make up for the lack of aid being delivered overland, which is at a fraction of its pre-war levels according to the UN.

Christodou­lides appeared to address those concerns, saying in Larnaca that the corridor was “not a substitute to other routes, namely the all-important land routes and the air drops. It is complement­ary to them”. Speaking alongside Christodou­lides, Roberta Metsola, the president of the European Parliament, called for an end to “hostilitie­s” and said: “We must use all resources to get answers, to bring in more relief, and organizati­ons like World Central Kitchen must be protected.”

 ?? - AFP ?? LARNACA: Cypriot President Nikos Christodou­lides briefs media on the Gaza aid corridor, during a visit of the EU Parliament President Roberta Metsola at the Joint Rescue Coordinati­on Centre (JRCC) near Larnaca’s internatio­nal airport on April 2, 2024.
- AFP LARNACA: Cypriot President Nikos Christodou­lides briefs media on the Gaza aid corridor, during a visit of the EU Parliament President Roberta Metsola at the Joint Rescue Coordinati­on Centre (JRCC) near Larnaca’s internatio­nal airport on April 2, 2024.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from Kuwait