Aid ship bringing 500K meals to starving Gazans
The first humanitarian aid ship from Cyprus was due to arrive at war-battered Gaza on Thursday with more than 500,000 meals from Chef José Andrés’ World Central Kitchen.
Crews were working on preparing a jetty at an undisclosed location to unload Open Arms, the first ship bringing aid to the enclave that has been left in ruins by more than five months of war. The nonprofit organization said in a statement it was working with United Arab Emirates, Cyprus and the international community to open the maritime aid corridor.
“Once there, we will distribute the food to communities on the brink of famine,” the group said. The Israeli military said a “comprehensive security check” of the ship and its cargo of almost 200 tons of rice, flour, beans, lentils and canned meats was completed.
A second ship was being prepared to make the trip. The group says it has already provided more than 35 million meals to displaced Palestinians in the region since the war began.
The U.S. is sending material for construction of a floating dock that would expand access to aid ships. The dock, when fully operational within two months, should be able to offload up to 2 million meals a day.
Israel to relocate Rafah civilians
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas plans to soon name close ally and economic adviser Muhammad Mustafa as his new prime minister, resisting international calls for the organization’s reform, the New York Times reported.
Meanwhile, displaced Palestinians will have to be on the move again, this time to “humanitarian islands.”
Israel plans to relocate a large portion of the 1.4 million people sheltering in Rafah to protect them from its anticipated major offensive in the southern Gaza Strip city as it pursues Hamas militants, the Israel Defense Forces’ chief spokesman said Wednesday.
“We need to make sure that 1.4 million people or at least a significant amount of the 1.4 million will move. Where? To humanitarian islands that we will create with the international community,” Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said at a press briefing.
The U.S., its allies and multiple aid organizations have warned of a humanitarian catastrophe if Israel invades Rafah, where more than 60% of Gazans are now located, the majority of them refugees from other parts of the territory trying to escape the war. Israel says it must destroy four Hamas battalions in Rafah to complete its mission of crushing the militant group.
Hagari said civilians would be redirected to central Gaza and provided food, water and shelter, though he didn’t say when the mass mobilization might start. The U.S. and fellow mediators Qatar and Egypt tried to broker a cease-fire before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan began this week, to no avail.
The Biden administration has pressed Israel to devise a workable strategy to spare innocent people in Rafah from the bloodshed that has left more than 31,000 dead and 73,000 injured in Gaza as Israel responded to Hamas’ attacks of Oct. 7.
“We need to see a plan that will get civilians out of harm’s way if there’s a military operation in Rafah,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters in Washington. “We’ve not yet seen such a plan.”
Senior officials in the White House have told Israeli officials that President Joe Biden would support efforts to target key Hamas leaders in Rafah if Israel avoids a large-scale invasion of the city, Politico reported. The administration is concerned that a military offensive in the city would further strain waning global support for Israel’s effort to destroy the militant group.
Politico, citing private conversations, said “top” administration officials have signaled support for counterterrorism operations rather than an all-out war, four U.S. officials said. Such a plan would minimize civilian casualties and decimate Hamas without the intense suffering that has fueled opposition to Israel’s military effort. Such a plan has not yet been formulated, Politico said.