By WAFAA SHURAFA (Associated Press)
WADI GAZA, Gaza Strip (AP) — A boat with 200 tons of aid is nearing the coast of Gaza on Friday to mark the beginning of a new sea route from Cyprus. sea route from Cyprus to reduce the humanitarian crisis in the area five months into the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
The vessel, run by the Spanish aid group Open Arms, departed from Cyprus on Tuesday pulling a barge filled with food, provided by World Central Kitchen, the charity established by celebrity chef José Andrés. It was visible off the coast of Gaza on Friday morning.
Israel has been facing mounting pressure to allow more aid into Gaza, with the United States and other countries also dropping supplies to the isolated northern region of Gaza. Plans to construct a pier for aid delivery have been announced as well. plans to construct a pier to bring aid.
Aid organizations have stated that airdrops and sea shipments are not as effective in delivering the large amount of aid needed in Gaza. They are urging Israel to secure safe passages for truck convoys, as land deliveries have become nearly impossible due to military restrictions, ongoing hostilities, and the breakdown of order after the Hamas-run police force largely disappeared from the streets. The daily number of supply trucks entering Gaza since the war began has been far below the 500 that entered before Oct. 7.
Earlier this week, Israel permitted six aid trucks to directly enter the north, a move long demanded by aid groups.
World Central Kitchen operates 65 kitchens across Gaza and has served 32 million meals since the war began. The aid includes rice, flour, lentils, beans, tuna, and canned meat, according to World Central Kitchen spokesperson Linda Roth.
It aims to distribute the food in the north, the area devastated by Israel’s initial offensive in Gaza largely devastated target of Israel’s initial offensive in Gaza, which has been mostly cut off by Israeli forces since October. Up to 300,000 Palestinians are believed to have remained there despite Israeli evacuation orders, with many resorting to eating animal feed in recent weeks. The aid is a small portion of what is needed, but the shipment is meant to pave the way for larger shipments, according to officials working on the route.
A second ship, carrying even more aid, will head to Gaza once the aid on the first ship is unloaded and distributed, said Cyprus’ Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos. He did not specify when the second ship would depart, stating that it depends partly on the smooth delivery of the Open Arms aid.
The Israel-Hamas war was sparked by Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,200 people and the capture of another 250 in Gaza. Israel’s offensive in Gaza has led to the deaths of over 31,000 Palestinians and the displacement of most of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents. A quarter of Gaza’s population is suffering from hunger, according to the United Nations. Hamas is considered a terrorist organization by the United States, Canada, and the European Union.
The ship was visible from the coast hours after the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza accused Israeli forces of attacking an aid distribution spot in northern Gaza, resulting in the deaths of 20 people and injuries to 155 others.
The Israeli military stated that it was Palestinian gunmen who started shooting and that none of its forces, who were protecting a convoy of 31 aid trucks, shot at the waiting crowd or the convoy. It said that some people in the crowd were hit by the trucks.
The health ministry reported that a group waiting for aid near the Kuwaiti roundabout was struck by Israeli shelling late Thursday.
On Friday, the ministry announced that 149 people were killed in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of Palestinians killed in the war to at least 31,490. The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count, but states that women and children make up two-thirds of the dead. does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count, but says women and children account for two-thirds of the deceased.
Violence surrounding an aid convoy on Feb. 29 resulted in the deaths of 118 Palestinians in northern Gaza. The Israeli military stated that some of its forces shot at people in the crowd who were approaching them. Witnesses and hospital officials said many of the casualties were from bullet wounds. The Israeli military stated that many of the casualties were caused by a stampede over the food and people being run over by the aid trucks. Following that, plans for the sea route were developed and the United States and other countries joined Jordan in delivering aid into the north by plane.
But people in northern Gaza say the airdrops are not enough to meet the huge need. Many can’t access the aid because people are fighting over it, said Suwar Baroud, 24, who was displaced by the fighting and is now in Gaza City. Some people hoard it and sell it in the market, she said. A recent airdrop that malfunctioned fell from the sky and killed five people..
Another drop landed in a sewage and garbage dump, said Riham Abu al-Bid, 27. Men ran in but were unable to retrieve anything, she said.
“I wish these airdrops never happened and that our dignity and freedom would be taken into consideration, so we can get our sustenance in a dignified way and not in a manner that is so humiliating,” she said.
The war has worsened tension throughout the region and posed a threat of broader violence.
At Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, the third-holiest site in Islam, the first Friday prayers of the
Muslim holy month of Ramadan
took place without a major outbreak of protest or violence. The mosque has been a frequent flashpoint for Israeli-Palestinian violence in the past. Hamas hopes a fresh outbreak now would put more pressure on Israel and enhance the group’s strength in cease-fire talks. Israel imposed restrictions that limited West Bank Palestinians’ entry to the compound for Friday’s prayers to men over 55, women over 50 and children under 10 and required all of them to have special permits. Palestinians without the permits were prevented from entering Jerusalem from the West Bank.
The compound has long been a deeply contested religious space, as it stands on the Temple Mount, which Jews consider their most sacred site.
But Find more of AP’s coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war
A ship carrying 200 tons of aid is approaching the coast of Gaza to launch a sea route from Cyprus. The ship was expected to arrive later on Friday.
Find more of AP’s coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war
