Larnaca aid ships expected in Gaza within the day
President Nikos Christodoulides said on Monday that the three ships carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza from Cyprus – the Jennifer, the Open Arms, and the Ledra Dynamics – will arrive in Gaza within the day.
The mission is carrying the second batch of humanitarian aid dispatched from the Larnaca port as part of the Amalthea humanitarian initiative.
Speaking from a memorial service at the Imprisoned Graves in Nicosia on Eoka Day, Christodoulides also said Cyprus “is preparing to see off a third shipment” from the same port.
“We are preparing for the third mission and we are in contact with the US government regarding the preparations to complete the work for the port, which will significantly increase the provision of humanitarian aid from Larnaca to Gaza,” the president said.
Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos had said on Saturday that a total of 332 tonnes of aid were being taken to Gaza, as well as supporting equipment, including a crane which will be used to unload the aid, and a crew to operate the crane.
He also confirmed that in the meantime, preparations are underway for the next shipment of aid.
On Monday, the EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell also praised the Amalthea initiative and in particular the NGO World Central Kitchen (WCK) for its role in bringing aid to Gaza.
“Their determination to save lives is admirable,” Borrell said in a post on X. “People in Gaza are starving.”
But he also called for humanitarian land route to open as soon as possible.
“It’s ever more urgent that all land routes are opened to allow full, safe humanitarian access to prevent the spread of famine” he added.
Meanwhile, Health Minister Michael Damianos said on Monday that currently there are no requests for the dispatch of doctors or nurses as part of the Amalthea initiative.
“At the moment, we have had no requests to send our doctors and nurses to Gaza,” he said from Paphos.
However, he did not rule out that such requests could be forwarded to the health ministry in the upcoming weeks.
“Of course, we will carefully consider any call for help in the future. For now, the only thing dispatched to Gaza from Cyprus is humanitarian aid,” Damianos said, referring to food.