American officials are focusing their attention on dispatching humanitarian aid to the residents of Gaza as part of the humanitarian corridor from Cyprus to the Palestinian enclave. The aim is reportedly to achieve a ceasefire and transport humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Cyprus is linked to transporting humanitarian aid to Gaza. As part of these efforts, Curtis Ried, chief of staff of the US National Security Council, visited Cyprus.
Ried participated in a joint meeting with representatives of the governments of Cyprus, Israel, and the United States.
A statement from the US Embassy in Nicosia states that the United States remains committed to cooperation with Israel, the Republic of Cyprus, and other partners, including the United Nations, to address the severe humanitarian needs of civilians in Gaza.
Mr. Ried also discussed the international community’s response to the attacks by the Houthis against maritime traffic in the Red Sea, including commercial vessels.
In meetings with officials of the Republic of Cyprus, Mr. Ried also discussed the dynamics of US-Cyprus bilateral relations and explored ways to continue deepening political, economic, and interpersonal ties and security ties between the two countries.
Parallel to Ried’s presence in Cyprus and the discussion he had here with Israeli officials, the US maintains communications with Jerusalem on issues related to the transport of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
The communication channel operates through diplomats at the US Embassy in Jerusalem, the State Department’s regional office focusing on the Middle East, and President Joe Biden’s special envoy for humanitarian issues in the region, David Satterfield, officials said.
Earlier this week, the American newspaper New York Times reported that officials from the US, Britain, and the European Union are reportedly pressuring Israel to include the port of Ashdod in the southern part of the country in the process of transporting humanitarian aid to Gaza through the maritime corridor starting from the port of Larnaca.
According to reports, the Israeli Government is being pressured to accept humanitarian material that will arrive directly from Larnaca to Ashdod and then be forwarded to the Kerem Shalom crossing in southern Israel.
There, after undergoing security checks by a specially trained Israeli team, it will be transported to Egypt for further forwarding to the Gaza Strip, via the Rafah crossing.
This way, Israel’s requirement to conduct security checks on humanitarian material before its entry into the Gaza Strip will be met.
