The next steps in the global effort for humanitarian assistance to Gaza were discussed yesterday evening in a high-level teleconference, with Cyprus sitting at the same table with the USA, the UK, the UAE, Qatar, the EU, and the UN.
Processes for the dispatch of new aid began in Larnaca as the second ship is already at the city’s port. As for the Open Arms, it is expected to approach the shores of Gaza today.
According to the Foreign Minister, Constantinos Kombos, the next steps decided in the teleconference are summarized as follows:
Firstly, the prospect of establishing a common fund to support the sustainability of the maritime corridor is being examined, while technical consultations are underway with both the UN Coordinator’s team and the EU.
Secondly, a meeting will be held in Cyprus next week (21/3/2024) at the coordinator level involving all involved states and organizations. Participation, therefore, will exceed that of today’s teleconference.
Thirdly, the process of preparing for the dispatch of a second ship with additional humanitarian aid has already begun. The first ship departed from Larnaca port on Tuesday.
Immediately after the conclusion of the high-level teleconference, Kombos stated that the Foreign Ministers of the United States, the United Kingdom, and the United Arab Emirates, as well as the Deputy Foreign Minister of Qatar (whose participation was welcomed by Ursula von der Leyen in a statement), took part in it.
Also participating from the European Commission was the Commissioner responsible for Crisis Management, as well as the UN Coordinator for Humanitarian Aid and Reconstruction for Gaza.
During the teleconference, the commitment of all participants to continue the involvement of our countries, as well as the European Commission, was reaffirmed, along with the activation of the role of the UN Coordinator Kaag in this significant effort.
The involved countries and organizations are in an intensive stage of processes aimed at systematizing the continuous provision of humanitarian aid through the activated Amalthea plan.
Meanwhile, a second ship carrying a load of humanitarian aid for Gaza is at the port of Larnaca and is awaiting departure for the smooth unloading of the first food delivery in the Palestinian enclave, stated Cypriot Foreign Minister Kombos today, according to Agence France-Presse.
“Given the current conditions, we are operating through non-governmental organizations; we already have a larger capacity commercial vessel that can depart from Cyprus ‘after the first unloading, if there are no problems,'” Kombos told reporters in Nicosia.
The ship “has been in Larnaca since Saturday (and) it and its cargo are being checked” by authorities, the Foreign Minister added, without specifying the quantity of aid to be transported.
In another development, the European Commission has so far sent five people to Cyprus as part of operational support for the maritime humanitarian corridor to Gaza, a Commission spokesman said in Brussels. “
As for what we are doing on the ground, we have sent three specialists in civil protection matters, one liaison officer, and one transport specialist,” said Balas Ujvari, a Commission spokesperson for humanitarian aid issues.
These five officials will be in Cyprus “supporting the operational side of ongoing efforts,” he noted, adding that as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Tuesday, “we are considering the dispatch of additional aid through the EU civil protection mechanism.”
The opening of the maritime corridor, initiated to provide necessary humanitarian assistance to Gaza, was welcomed in a joint statement by the UN Coordinator for Humanitarian Aid and Reconstruction in Gaza, Sigrid Kaag, and UNOPS Executive Director Jorge de Silva, as stated by UN Secretary-General’s Spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, during a Press Briefing at the UN headquarters in New York.
“Ms. Kaag and Mr. De Silva praised the leadership of Cyprus and the support of the European Commission, Qatar, the UAE, the UK, the USA, and others in the effort,” noted Mr. Dujarric.
The spokesperson for Antonio Guterres added that “Ms. Kaag and Mr. De Silva report that for the delivery of aid, there is no substantial alternative option to land routes and entry points from Israel to Gaza. Land routes from Egypt (to Rafah) and Jordan also remain open for the overall humanitarian effort. The maritime corridor sustains the response of countries to provide humanitarian aid as effectively as possible through all possible means.”
