A maritime convoy with humanitarian aid for the population trapped by the war in Gaza set sail this Saturday from the port of Larnaca, in Cyprus, according to the authorities of this island and the NGO Open Arms.
The cargo ship Jennifer, flying the flag of Guinea Bissau, is transporting 500 tons of aid, including flour, pasta, sugar, canned food and milk. Added to this are another 375 tons distributed between two other ships, the Open Arms and the Ledra Dynamic, as well as the floating platform MMS Aris, which they drag and which will be used for the landing in Gaza.
“The weather conditions have improved and seem to allow the ship to set sail,” Cyprus government spokesman Yiannis Antoniou said shortly before departure, referring to the almost two weeks that the shipment has been waiting in Larnaca. “The shipment has already been inspected by the competent authorities of the Republic and the Israelis have also carried out the necessary inspections. This has been done within the framework of the agreement reached with all parties involved,” Antoniou added.
Like the Open Arms, which set sail in the second week of March, the Jennifer's mission is part of the World Central Kitchen (WCK) project, by Spanish chef José Andrés, and has the approval of the Government of Cyprus, Israel and the Palestinian National Authority.
The three ships are accompanied by a Port and Maritime Police vessel and it is estimated that the trip will last approximately 65 hours. In March, the Spanish ship Open Arms became the first ship to bring humanitarian aid from Cyprus to Gaza to alleviate famine in the strip, after five months of war between Israel and Hamas.
In the absence of adequate port infrastructure in Gaza, humanitarian goods will be unloaded with the floating platform to a makeshift dock built from rubble.
