1,200-Ton Gaza Aid Ship Approaches Israeli Port

A ship carrying 1,200 tons of food aid for Gaza was nearing Israel’s Ashdod port on Tuesday, after departing Cyprus in a renewed attempt to ease the worsening humanitarian crisis as famine looms over the territory.

The Panamanian-flagged vessel is transporting 52 containers filled with essentials such as rice, pasta, canned goods, and baby food. Israeli customs officials had already inspected the cargo at Limassol port in Cyprus, where it set sail on Monday.

Roughly 700 tons of the shipment was purchased in Cyprus using funds donated by the United Arab Emirates to the Amalthea Fund, a program launched last year to support seaborne aid. Additional contributions came from Italy, the Maltese government, a Catholic order in Malta, and Kuwait’s Al Salam Association NGO.

“The situation is beyond dire,” said Cypriot Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos.

Cyprus previously served as a hub for more than 22,000 tons of aid sent directly to Gaza last year through a pier operated by World Central Kitchen and a U.S. military-run Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore facility. However, by July 2024, aid groups halted the effort due to persistent security concerns and weather disruptions that limited the delivery of supplies.

According to Cyprus’ Foreign Ministry, Tuesday’s mission is led by the United Nations. Once the aid is offloaded at Ashdod, U.N. staff will oversee its transport to warehouses and food distribution centers managed by World Central Kitchen, a charity widely trusted inside Gaza. The organization also coordinated the first shipment of aid from Cyprus to Gaza last year.

Kombos praised the joint effort, saying, “The contribution of everyone involved is crucial and their commitment incredible.”

Unlike recent international airdrops, sea shipments can carry far larger amounts of desperately needed supplies.

This latest delivery comes just one day after Hamas announced it had agreed to a new ceasefire proposal from Arab mediators — though Israel has yet to approve it. Following stalled negotiations last month, Israel declared plans to reoccupy Gaza City and other densely populated areas, raising fears of a worsening humanitarian disaster in a territory already edging toward famine.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has dismissed reports of starvation in Gaza as “lies” spread by Hamas. However, the United Nations recently warned that hunger and malnutrition in Gaza have reached their worst levels since the war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251 in attacks on southern Israel.

Gaza’s Health Ministry, which is run by Hamas but staffed with medical professionals, reports that more than 62,000 Palestinians have been killed in the 22-month war. The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and fighters, but says women and children account for about half of the deaths.