An aid ship carrying 1,200 tonnes of humanitarian aid from Cyprus bound for Gaza has arrived at the Israeli port of Ashdod, foreign ministry spokesman Theodoros Gotsis said on Wednesday.

Speaking to the Cyprus Mail, he confirmed that the ship would be unloaded before the end of the day and the aid is then expected to travel into Gaza by land via the Erez crossing point.

“Cyprus continues to support the civilian population and act as a humanitarian passage for the international community,” President Nikos Christodoulides said ahead of the ship’s departure from the Limassol port on Tuesday.

The foreign ministry said the aid primarily consists of “food items, particularly to cover the nutritional needs of children”, with 700 tonnes of that aid having originated from Cyprus.

Related Articles

The remaining 500 tonnes, it said, is made up of a donation from the Maltese government, as well as contributions made by international humanitarian organisations based in the United States, Italy, and Kuwait, and linked to the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.

“The Republic of Cyprus expresses its gratitude to all states and agencies involved in this collective effort, which is being implemented in full respect of international humanitarian law and within the framework of entities operating under the United Nations,” it said.

Meanwhile, UN office for project services (Unops) executive director Jorge Moreira da Silva described the shipment from Limassol as “a crucial step in alleviating suffering in Gaza”.

“We need [a] rapid, unhindered, and safe flow of humanitarian aid for all civilians in need,” he said.

The ship’s arrival comes after Cyprus’ foreign ministry, and Minister Constantinos Kombos, had made indications earlier in the summer regarding their intention to resurrect a plan which had earlier appeared to have run its course.

Sigrid Kaag, for example, then UN senior humanitarian and reconstruction coordinator for Gaza, and now the UN’s special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, had said last year that the Amalthea project could “never be a substitute” for aid deliveries made by land.

Ashdod has been the landing point of aid sent from Cyprus at various points since humanitarian aid began to be shipped from Cyprus in the direction of Gaza, with aid arriving at Ashdod typically travelling into northern Gaza by land via the Erez crossing point.

Previously, aid had also arrived in Gaza from Cyprus via a temporary jetty attached to the coast of Gaza, which was built and financed by the US government of the day.

The jetty was installed in May last year, but was only operable for 12 days before being permanently removed two months later.

This year, the collection of aid by Palestinians in Gaza has continued to prove dangerous, with the UN’s office of the high commissioner for human rights (UNCHR) reporting that hundreds of Palestinians had been shot dead or otherwise wounded by Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) soldiers at aid distribution points set up by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.

The UN and over 170 charities and non-governmental organisations have accused the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation of failing to uphold humanitarian norms, “including by forcing two million people into overcrowded and militarised zones where they face daily gunfire”, according to the BBC.