The European Union is planning to open an emergency maritime aid corridor from Cyprus to Gaza this weekend in a joint effort with allies including the US, the chief of the bloc, President Ursula von der Leyen, announced on Friday.
“We are now very close to the opening of the corridor, hopefully this Saturday, this Sunday, and I’m very glad to see that the initial pilot operation will be launched today,” she told reporters in Larnaca, in Cyprus. It came after US President Joe Biden revealed plans to establish a temporary port on the Gaza coast.
Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, the Republic of Cyprus, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom will join efforts to launch the corridor, according to an EU news statement. The “complex” operation will be “closely coordinated with the Government of Israel,” the statement added.
What Israel is saying: Foreign ministry spokesperson Lior Haiat welcomed the plan, saying it will “allow the increase of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, after security checks are carried out in accordance with Israeli standards.” Haiat urged other countries to join the initiative and said, “Israel will continue to facilitate the transfer of humanitarian aid to the residents of the Gaza Strip in accordance with the rules of war and in coordination with the United States and our allies around the world.”
Calls for more land crossings: Israel’s siege on Gaza has drastically diminished essential supplies entering the strip, where Palestinians are facing starvation, dehydration and deadly hunger.
Israeli authorities insist there is “no limit” on the amount of relief that can enter Gaza, but humanitarian groups have repeatedly warned Israel’s restrictions on land crossings into the strip has throttled aid distribution efforts.
Sigrid Kaag, United Nations senior humanitarian and reconstruction coordinator for Gaza, told reporters on Thursday the optimal solution is by land, “it’s easier faster, cheaper.” She added: “When everything goes through one or two crossings, you can’t expect a miracle.”
CNN’s Richard Roth and Sahar Akbarzai contributed reporting.
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