First assistance ship departs from Cyprus

A Spanish vessel is towing a barge carrying 200 tons of food destined for the people of Gaza. The boat is leaving from Cyprus. Everyone in Gaza needs this food.

The Open Arms boat left Larnaca a little before 9:00 in the morning on a journey that might last two days.

Gaza does not have a working port, so a charity called World Central Kitchen from the US is building a dock to get the supplies.

The UN says that there is not enough help for Gaza, and this has caused a risk of famine.

The fastest and best way to deliver help to the area is by using the road. But organizations that provide help say that Israeli rules make it difficult to bring in only a small amount of what is actually needed.

If the Open Arms ship can reach Gaza, then more ships from Europe and the United Arab Emirates will also come to bring more help to Gaza.

Israel is happy about the new sea route and is helping to send supplies to Gaza. At the same time, they are still fighting against Hamas.

The fighting started when Hamas fighters attacked southern Israel on October 7th. They killed around 1,200 people and took 253 hostages. Over 31,180 people have died in Gaza, according to the health ministry run by Hamas.

The Open Arms, a boat owned by a charity called Open Arms, is pulling a barge full of food like rice, flour, beans, canned veggies, and canned meat.

While they are on the water, Palestinians who work for WCK will keep building a dock somewhere in Gaza. This dock will be used to unload the aid. They are using debris from broken buildings and infrastructure that has been destroyed in the last five months.

If the dock is finished on time, WCK plans to put the food on trucks and give it to people who need it. The charity has about 60 kitchens in Gaza and has given over 35 million meals to around1. 7 million Palestinians who had to leave their homes.

‘Operation Safeena’, a boat, is going to Gaza for the first time. This is a learning experience for WCK’s founder, Spanish celebrity chef JoséAndrés, who shared this information on X, which used to be called Twitter. “While [Open Arms] is being moved, the jetty is also being built. “

“We might not succeed, but not trying at all would be the worst failure. Thank you to everyone who helped make it happen. ” We can deliver many meals every day. “He said the people from the north will have food to eat. “

The United Nations says that at least 576,000 people in Gaza, which is one quarter of the population, are very close to starving.

It says that 300,000 people in the north are in trouble. The UN can’t reach them because of fighting and chaos. They need help soon.

The health ministry in Gaza said that 25 people, including many children, have died from not having enough food and water in the hospitals.

Nine people were shot and killed by Israeli forces while waiting for help in Gaza City. The Israeli military did not respond right away.

Yamen, a father of four in Deir al-Balah, said his family is starving because there isn’t enough food and what is available is too expensive.

WCK has 500 more tons of aid in Cyprus that they are ready to send. Their plan is to have a constant stream of boats and barges carrying food towards Gaza.

The Open Arms is the first ship to provide medical help as part of a program supported by Cyprus, the European Union, the UK, and US.

Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides said that the journey was full of hope and kindness and could be very helpful to the people.

The US is building a temporary dock off the coast of Gaza to help deliver supplies to the area.

Western and Arab countries are also dropping supplies from the air,mainly over the northern part of Gaza. However, many people believe that they do not work well and are expensive.

The UN says that using roads is the only way to transport a lot of food to stop famine.

It is asking Israel to open the border crossings in the north and to use the port of Ashdod, which were closed after the attacks on 7 October.

Israel says they are not stopping aid from coming in or being given out. They say it’s the fault of UN agencies for not getting the aid to the people who need it.

Before the war, about 500 trucks that can carry and transport up to 20 tons of materials entered Gaza every day. In the first 10 days of March, about 162 trucks came into Gaza every day through the Rafah and Kerem Shalom crossings, which are controlled by Egypt and Israel, according to the UN.