This weekend, a ship loaded with much-needed humanitarian aid is scheduled to depart for Gaza. The Spanish ship Open Arms is expected to sail from Cyprus, the EU nation nearest Gaza, to take advantage of a recently opened shipping channel. It’s still unclear where the ship will dock when it gets to Gaza because there isn’t a working port and the waters are shallow. According to the UN, children in the Strip are starving to death and a quarter of the population is at risk of starvation. The ship, which is owned by the Spanish nonprofit organization Open Arms, is scheduled to arrive in Gaza within the next few days. According to Open Arms founder Oscar Camps, it will tow a barge filled with 200 tons of food donated by the US charity World Central Kitchen, as reported by the Associated Press. According to Mr. Camps, the news agency, the ship is scheduled to leave Cyprus’ Larnaca port this weekend and will travel for two to three days to arrive at an undisclosed location off the coast of Gaza. Although he said he was “not concerned at all about security,” he did add that the last mile of the voyage, which is approximately 216 nautical miles in total, would be “the most complicated operation.”

According to him, a group from the World Central Kitchen has been constructing a pier at the destination to accept the assistance. The organization will be able to distribute the food because it has 60 kitchens spread throughout Gaza.  A post on Open Arms’ X account said, “What seemed like an insurmountable challenge is now on the verge of realization.” “Our tugboat stands prepared to embark at a moment’s notice, laden with tons of food, water, and vital supplies for Palestinian civilians.”

The reasons why food airdrops into Gaza are divisive

Speaking from Cyprus, Ms. von der Leyen claimed that Gaza was “facing a humanitarian catastrophe” and that the sea corridor would make it possible to send significant amounts of extra aid there. In a joint statement, the US, UK, UAE, Cyprus, the European Commission, and others stated that running a sea corridor would be “complex” and that they would keep pushing Israel to increase the number of roads it uses to deliver aid, making more routes possible and opening more crossings. David Cameron, the foreign secretary for the United Kingdom, stated: “We continue to urge Israel to allow more trucks into Gaza as the fastest way to get aid to those who need it.” Israel praised the effort and exhorted other nations to follow suit.

According to a spokesman for the foreign ministry, aid would be distributed following security inspections that were completed “by Israeli standards”. Though welcome, the head of the relief organization Refugees International told the BBC that it was unlikely that the maritime route could provide even close to enough food. “This does not sound like it will come anywhere close to the scale that would be required to reverse the trajectory into famine that Gaza is now in,” stated Jeremy Konyndyk. Israel disputes that it is preventing aid from reaching Gaza and charges humanitarian agencies for not distributing it properly. Although US officials stated it would take “several weeks” to set up, Mr. Biden said on Thursday that the US military would build a pier to transfer supplies from ships at sea to the shore. He clarified that the operation would not involve US troops stationed in Gaza. It would allow big ships to transport supplies such as food, water, medicine, and makeshift shelters.

Without a deal, Hamas representatives depart from the Gaza truce talks

Speaking on Friday, Mr. Biden expressed his belief that it was “looking tough” for Israel and Hamas to come to a ceasefire before Sunday when Ramadan begins. A 40-day truce was supposed to make it easier for much-needed aid to reach Gaza. Amidst the increasing desperation, over 100 individuals lost their lives last week while attempting to reach an aid convoy. Palestinians claimed Israeli forces shot the majority of them. The Israeli military, which was in charge of the private aid supplies, said on Friday that its soldiers fired at “suspects” who they believed to be a threat rather than Palestinians near an aid convoy. 

Following Hamas’s attacks on Israel on October 7, which resulted in approximately 1,200 deaths and 253 hostages, Israel’s military initiated an air and ground campaign in Gaza. Since then, more than 30,800 people have died in Gaza, according to the health ministry run by Hamas in the territory.

Flour and rice

The ship is expected to leave on Saturday, according to Open Arms founder Oscar Camps, who spoke with The Associated Press. It will take two to three days to arrive at an undisclosed location where World Central Kitchen is building a pier to receive it. The group distributes aid through 60 food kitchens located throughout Gaza. Near the Gaza coast, the ship will tow a barge carrying 200 tons of rice and flour. For the challenging last leg, which involves towing the barge up to the pier, pontoon boats will be utilized. 

According to Camps, his team has been organizing the delivery for the past two months, even before the head of the EU Commission announced the safe corridor’s launch. He stated that “the security and lives of the people who are in Gaza” are more important to him than the ship’s security. With the group’s 3 million euros in funding from private donations, Camps remarked, “I don’t know if nations plan to do something bigger, but we are doing everything we can”. Spokesman for the commission Balazs Ujvari in Brussels stated that there are various “logistical problems” with the Open Arms ship’s direct route to Gaza. He added that the Red Cross and UN organizations will also be involved. View additional Subscribers only ‘You can’t feed two million people with airdrops’: the health crisis in Gaza. A sea route for aid delivery is being established, but concerns about the 2.3 million people living in Gaza spreading through hunger are growing. The area of Gaza that is most severely affected by hunger is the northern part of the Strip, where Israeli forces have cut off food supplies for months.

Biden’s annoyance with the humanitarian situation

In order to help deliver aid to Gaza, including through airdrops that began last week, the US must circumvent Israel, its principal Mideast ally and the top recipient of US military aid, as President Joe Biden announced on Thursday. This plan calls for the construction of a temporary pier in Gaza. Israel charges Hamas of stealing some humanitarian supplies. Continue reading subscribers alone The US is considering a “temporary pier” to deliver aid to Gaza while maintaining its support for Israel. 

Aid officials have stated that to deliver the enormous amounts of aid that are required to people, trucks must travel on land. Deliveries by air and sea are far more expensive and inefficient. According to Palestinian officials, airdrops on Friday malfunctioned, struck individuals, and landed on homes in Gaza, resulting in five fatalities and multiple injuries. Because of a daily lesson, a unique story, and a tailored correction, all in fifteen minutes a day. Following months of alerts regarding the potential for famine in Gaza due to Israel’s siege, bombardment, and offensives, medical professionals have documented 20 deaths at two hospitals in the northern part of Gaza from malnutrition.

Gaza’s Health Ministry reports that 30,878 Palestinians have died

It is estimated that thirty more bodies were found after 30 hostages were taken by Palestinian militants during the October 7 attack by Hamas, which resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,200 Israeli citizens and the kidnapping of approximately 250 hostages. A week-long truce in November saw the release of several dozen hostages; approximately thirty are thought to have died. According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, there have been at least 30,878 Palestinian deaths. It claims that women and children account for two-thirds of those slain, but it does not distinguish between combatants and civilians in its tolls. The ministry, which is under the control of Hamas, keeps meticulous records, and its estimates of casualties from past conflicts generally agree with those provided by the UN and outside experts. Subscribers to columns only Hamas, Netanyahu, and the hostages

According to Egyptian officials, Israel wants to limit the negotiations to a more limited agreement, while Hamas has agreed to the main terms of such an agreement as a first step but wants guarantees that it will eventually lead to a more permanent cease-fire. The officials were not authorized to discuss the negotiations with the media, so they spoke under anonymity. According to both officials, the mediators are still putting pressure on the parties to compromise.