The continuous flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza cannot be obstructed by anyone and anyone doing so is “deplorable”, President Nikos Christodoulides said on Monday.

Commenting on criticism over his relationship with Israel, Christodoulides said “not everything lends itself to an election campaign”.

“The continuous transfer of humanitarian aid to Gaza is something that cannot be obstructed by anyone and anyone who obstructs it is condemnable and this is the position of the Republic of Cyprus,” he said.

He added that Cyprus was the first country to take a specific initiative through Amalthia to provide humanitarian aid to the Palestinians living in Gaza.

“This initiative was welcomed by the entire international community, from the Arab world, except for some parties in Cyprus. So, I think we have to be a little careful,” he said.

Christodoulides said that he had been accused of collaborating with “criminals, murderers” over his recent visit to Israel. “Not everything lends itself to an election campaign,” he said.

Meanwhile, foreign ministry spokesman Theodoros Gotsis told the Cyprus Mail on Monday that Cyprus remains “open and committed” to assisting the restart of a steady flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza, including medical aid, and to broader missions.

However, evacuation of citizens, such as wounded children, from the Gaza Strip or other types of aid – such as provision of help by means of medical ships departing from Cyprus – could only happen if they were greenlit by the Israeli authorities or if other major actors and humanitarian organisations took the lead. Thus, at present, Egypt remains the only realistic exit point for wounded Gazan civilians with Cyprus playing a secondary role.

On CyBC, government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis on Monday defended the government’s stance when asked to clarify its lack of condemnation of Israel over its ongoing bombing and withholding of desperately needed aid for civilians in Gaza.

A mass protest has meanwhile been planned by the Cyprus Peace Council outside the Presidential Palace for 6.30pm, with the strong backing of Akel and other parties and a consensus of citizens’ groups.

Speaking to the Cyprus Mail, Gotsis said that the state’s policy towards Gaza and the Palestinian plight had “remained constant since the start of hostilities”.

“Our foreign minister is involved in ongoing contacts with regional actors, such as Jordan, Egypt, the UAE, and Qatar,” over the humanitarian issue, Gotsis said, recalling the latest visits and contacts by Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos to his counterparts in these states, in April and May.

Cyprus is in “full readiness” to participate in any humanitarian efforts to relieve Gaza, as a function of its geographical location, as well as due to its upgraded technical capability to assist in such matters, Gotsis said.

All these statements come on the heels of ramped up criticism of the Christodoulides government for its approach to the Israeli leadership and the crisis in Gaza, by factions of society which have accused his government of “collusion in genocide”.

Christodoulides’ recent visit to Israel to meet with Prime Minister Netanyahu and footage of him referring to the latter as his “dear friend” with whom the island “shares common values” has been widely criticised at grassroots levels.

The criticisms grew after Cyprus failed to sign a statement by 22 nations last week urging Israel to permit full, unimpeded flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza, and its objection, during an EU discussion on the topic, to the motion to review the bloc’s political and economic ties with Israel.

Called upon to explain these actions, Letymbiotis said that criticism of the Christodoulides government over its handling of Gaza was disingenuous and that the state was conducting a “high level” diplomacy in these matters.

“In the last few days there has been a dissemination of false news about actions taken or not taken by the state,” he said. Letymbiotis went on to set the record straight, saying that the reservations expressed by Cyprus towards the revision of economic ties with Israel, had to do with concern over “whether or not the actions to be proposed would have the desired effect”.

“It was not a procedure where any vote was taken on the matter,” Letymbiotis insisted. “Cyprus positioned itself as questioning whether the timing was right and whether the proposal would have any [outcome] value.”

Cyprus had been “the first country to enable a humanitarian aid mission to Gaza” after Israel’s invasion and had pushed through with the Amalthea Corridor project, even after derision from detractors, he said.

Moreover, on May 23, Cyprus had voted in favour of an official World Health Organisation statement calling for immediate aid to the population of Gaza.

“The situation in Gaza is tragic and unacceptable and Israel must take action to permit the systematic flow of aid into [the region],” Letymbiotis said, refusing, however, to be drawn into stronger language and avoiding any reference to Netanyahu’s war criminal status, as per the International Court of Justice.

“We must understand the actions of a state that contributes to security in the region and Cyprus must realise these positives,” Letymbiotis said.

The Christodoulides’ government’s “strategic policy” enables the state to be in contact with Israel, as well as the Palestinian Authority, he added.

Speaking on the same programme, Akel press spokesman George Koukoumas referred to the protest set to take place on Monday evening.

Addressing the latest statements by Letymbiotis, Koukoumas blasted the latter’s statements as mealy-mouthed and denounced the spokesman’s inability to speak up against events unfolding in Gaza.

“What is happening in Gaza is not ‘tragic and unacceptable’, it is not a natural disaster. What is happening is genocide and war crimes, carried out by an actor: the Netanyahu government and Israel. The fact that the government spokesman cannot turn his tongue to say these words is a problem.”

The situation calls for action far beyond “agreeing with some statements and sending aid”, Koukoumas said.

“It’s not just a matter of sending aid, it’s not a matter of sending Palestinians to their death well fed. The point is for this atrocity to end.”