Goods are ready

Aid by sea for Gaza delayed

A spokesman for the Cypriot government announced that a Spanish charity ship would be taking food to the Gaza Strip, where the UN has repeatedly warned of a famine.(Bild: AFP)

The delivery of humanitarian aid for the Gaza Strip from Cyprus has been delayed. On Monday afternoon, it was unclear when the ship "Open Arms" would leave the port of Larnaca. It has around 200 tons of drinking water, medicine and food on board.

The delay is related to issues such as the unloading and distribution of the aid supplies. "There have been problems with some of these issues," said Cypriot Foreign Minister Konstantinos Kombos. A second shipment of humanitarian aid is waiting in the port. The journey from Larnaca to Gaza takes up to 60 hours.

US military wants to build port
It is unclear where and how the ship will unload its cargo once it arrives in the waters off the coast of the Gaza Strip. Delivering the goods is considered a major challenge because there is only a small fishing port that is not deep enough for cargo ships. The US military therefore wants to set up a temporary port together with international partners, but according to the US, it will take two months to build.

A spokesman for the Cypriot government announced that a Spanish charity ship would be carrying food to the Gaza Strip, where the UN has repeatedly warned of a famine.(Bild: AFP)

Goods should not fall into the hands of Hamas
A professor of political science suspected that the ship's repeatedly postponed departure was because Israel wanted to ensure that the aid would not be accepted and distributed by the militant Palestinian organization Hamas or other extremist organizations.

Humanitarian situationworsening 
 According to aid organizations, the humanitarian situation of the people in the Gaza Strip has been worsening dramatically for weeks. There is a lack of everything. The German government is insisting on more aid by land, as this is "the easiest way to get humanitarian aid to Gaza". However, "more border crossings also need to be opened", according to the spokesperson for the German Foreign Office.