Israel Readies for Arrival of First Humanitarian Aid by Sea

By Yoni Weiss

The IDF have made preparations for the anticipated arrival of the first humanitarian aid shipment to the Gaza Strip by sea, scheduled for Thursday.

The vessel, Open Arms, and flying the Spanish flag, is carrying 200 tons of food provided by the World Central Kitchen, a non-profit organization based in the United States and funded by the United Arab Emirates. Departing from the port of Larnaca in Cyprus, the ship is en route to Gaza.

Upon its arrival on Thursday, the food cargo will be unloaded at a jetty constructed by the World Central Kitchen at an undisclosed location in Gaza. Cypriot authorities have disclosed that a second, larger vessel carrying aid will depart from Larnaca once the Open Arms completes its mission.

The delivery operation is being coordinated with Israeli authorities at the request of the United States. Israeli officials conducted a security check on the Open Arms before its departure from Cyprus.

Simultaneously, a pilot program for delivering aid via land routes commenced on Tuesday, with six trucks from the World Food Program entering the northern Gaza Strip. This initiative aims to circumvent interference from Hamas, which has been known to intercept aid shipments.

In the past week, foreign countries have conducted over 12 airdrops, delivering more than 1,000 aid packages to the Gaza Strip.