An international maritime aid corridor to Gaza could be in
operation as early as Sunday, according to the head of the
European Commission, working closely with the UN’s Senior
Humanitarian Coordinator and other international partners.
In a joint statement released on Friday, the Commission, Cyprus,
United Arab Emirates, United States and the United Kingdom
announced their intent to open a new corridor in coordination
with the UN’s Sigrid Kaag.
The UN coordinator has a mandate from the Security Council to
facilitate, boost and monitor the arrival of aid to more than two
million Gazans in need. A technical team from her office is now
based in Cyprus, whose government has led the development of the
new mechanism to ship aid from the Mediterranean island to Gaza.
The joint release said that “the dedicated efforts of the UAE to
mobilize support for the initiative” would soon see an initial
trial shipment make its way to the Gaza coast. European
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said it could happen as
early as this weekend.
US pier pledge
The Cypriot Government said it would soon convene senior
officials to discuss accelerating the new sea route,
acknowledging the US announcement on Thursday night from
President Joe Biden of a new temporary pier for distributing aid
on the Gaza coast. All these efforts “will be closely coordinated
with the Government of Israel,” said the statement.
Taking questions from correspondents in New York, UN Spokesperson
Stéphane Dujarric said Ms. Kaag had been in close contact with
Cyprus “and she's been involved in discussions on the initiative
as an additional access route to Gaza, in line with her mandate".
The operational details of the specific maritime
shipments or the building of the dock or of the port are being
managed by the partners to the initiative, he added.
Questioned about the potential effectiveness of the US plan and
maritime aid routes, Mr. Dujarric said there was “no alternative
to a larger scale deployment of aid by land” and commercial
traffic, although aid entering by other means was welcome.
The international coalition planning the maritime corridor said
that the delivery of assistance to those who need it in Gaza by
sea “will be complex” and must be part of a sustained effort to
increase the flow of aid and commercial goods “through all
possible routes”.
“Together, we must all do more to ensure aid gets to people who
desperately need it,” the statement concluded.
