Israel wants aid to Gaza fast-tracked
Working with Cyprus on maritime corridor
LARNACA, Cyprus — Israel wants to fast-track the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza through a maritime corridor from Cyprus, bolstering stability in the region, the country’s foreign minister said Wednesday.
Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said Israeli and Cypriot technical teams would spend Wednesday and Thursday hammering out the details of the initiative so that aid shipments from Cyprus’ port of Larnaca, some 240 miles from Gaza, can begin as soon as possible.
“Cyprus and Israel, together with other partners in the region, are promoting the initiative for a secure maritime corridor to facilitate the transfer of humanitarian assistance to Gaza in an organized and well-inspected manner,” Cohen said after talks with his Cypriot counterpart Constantinos Kombos.
Cohen was briefed on the initiative’s details during a visit to the Zenon Joint Rescue Coordination Center in Larnaca, which will act as the operational center for the aid shipments. He also personally inspected storage facilities and security arrangements at Larnaca port.
Cyprus pitched the idea of such an aid corridor shortly after the start of the war in Gaza following Hamas’ Oct. 7 terrorist rampage across southern Israel that killed some 1,200 people.
Kombos said the Cypriot authorities have outlined a detailed plan for the “sustained flow of high-volume humanitarian assistance to the civilians in Gaza, through a dedicated one-way maritime corridor.”
The idea is to use vessels able to reach the Gazan shoreline to deliver the aid directly after it has been thoroughly inspected at Larnaca port in the presence of Israeli officials and personnel from other countries.
Cypriot officials have said that several countries, including Britain, have dispatched aid that is currently stored at Larnaca port. Britain has also sent a vessel to help with deliveries.
“It is a commitment to commence now and evolve into what, we hope, will be a long-term enterprise,” Kombos said. “Cyprus stands ready. We look forward to your green light for the first voyage.”