A ship transporting much needed humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, as part of the “Amalthea” operation, is expected to depart from the port of Larnaca this afternoon (Sunday) reports Cyprus radio.
According to CyBC, the ship will tow a platform loaded with about 200 tons of humanitarian aid, which has passed through Israeli control.
Yesterday, the President of the Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, noted that for security reasons, the exact time of the ship’s departure would not be made public. He also expressed satisfaction that an initiative is receiving international recognition.
Christodoulides stated that after the recent press conference with the president of the European Commission, heads of state and government and foreign ministers have contacted the Republic of Cyprus, expressing their desire to participate in this humanitarian initiative.
The ship, belonging to the Spanish charity Open Arms, is expected to take three days to reach Gaza.
However, with no functioning harbour and shallow waters, it is still uncertain where the ship will dock when it reaches Gaza.
In other developments, the US Navy’s general support ship “General Frank S. Besson” departed from the United States Navy base in Virginia, bound for the Eastern Mediterranean, to bolster the maritime humanitarian aid campaign in the Gaza Strip.
