First Ship Delivering Aid To Gaza Arrives From Cyprus

A ship carrying food aid has arrived off the coast of Gaza. The vessel, the Open Arms, reached Gaza loaded with more than 200 tons of rice, flour, lentils and canned tuna, beef and chicken, supplied by the World Central Kitchen (WCK) charity, across the Mediterranean from Cyprus.

WCK, the charity founded by celebrity chef José Andrés, released a statement that its team unloaded the aid in Gaza.

"I want us to build a highway of constantly flowing aid on the sea as just one more access point into Gaza that is so desperately needed," WCK CEO Erin Gore, who was recently on the ground in Cyprus, said in a statement.

According to The Standard, The Spanish boat, run by the Open Arms aid group, used a new shipping route to make the passage safely. The aid ship comes as the United States, the European Commission, the United Arab Emirates, Cyprus, and the United Kingdom join efforts to launch maritime routes that deliver assistance directly to Gaza.

The Israeli military said it had deployed troops to 'secure the area' around the jetty. The 'vessel underwent a comprehensive security inspection.'

It remained unclear how the food would be distributed to Palestinian civilians, reported the New York Times. Awaiting orders to sail, the second ship, carrying 240 tons of relief supplies, was moored at the port of Larnaca.

Thousands of Muslims gathered for prayers at the hallowed Al-Aqsa mosque complex in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem on this first Friday of Ramadan, despite entry restrictions and a strong Israeli security presence.

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday he had approved the military's plan for an operation in Rafah, where most of the Gaza Strip's population has sought refuge, without providing details or a timeline.

UN Special Rapporteur for food Michael Fakhr last week said Israeli forces had "decimated the Port of Gaza," the enclave's main, if small, port near the Rimal district in Gaza City.

US President Joe Biden has said the US military will begin establishing a separate port in Gaza that could receive large shipments of aid. But that floating pier could take up to two months and some 1,000 US military personnel to complete, the Pentagon said.

A growing number of Gazans have died due to malnutrition and dehydration, according to the territory's ministry of health.