BRUSSELS
Until the US completes work on a temporary port off the Gaza Strip, smaller vessels will carry humanitarian aid to the besieged Palestinian enclave from the Greek Cypriot administration, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced Tuesday.
Speaking at the General Assembly of the European Parliament, von der Leyen pointed to the EU's coordinated efforts to step up maritime humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza, where over five months of Israeli attacks and blockade have left over 31,000 dead and triggered severe shortages in basic necessities.
"As we speak, a ship is setting sail from (the Greek Cypriot administration of Southern) Cyprus to Northern Gaza," von der Leyen said, emphasizing that the vessel was loaded with food.
Besides the Greek Cypriot administration, the EU has been working with the United Arab Emirates, the US, and the UK are collaborating to make these deliveries possible, said von der Leyen, who added that when fully operational, this maritime corridor "could guarantee a sustained, regulated and robust flow of aid to Gaza."
"When this maritime corridor becomes fully operational, we can guarantee a continuous, regular, and robust flow of aid to Gaza. This is the first time since 2005 that permission has been granted to a ship to deliver aid to Gaza.
"This is the first time that a ship is authorized to deliver aid to Gaza since 2005."
Stressing that the situation on the ground in Gaza has "reached a tipping point," she said everything must be done to reach those in need.
"The United States will now work to set up a floating port to unload big ships. Until this is ready, we work with smaller ships," she added.
While the UAE "and other partners" will co-finance the cargo, von der Leyen said, the Greek Cypriot administration will be managing departures from the port of Larnaca.
"And we, the European Union, will step up our logistical support on the ground. An EU coordination team is in (Southern) Cyprus. And we will finance and coordinate the flow of European goods through this corridor," she said.
In his State of the Union address last week, US President Joe Biden announced that Washington would construct a temporary pier on Gaza's shoreline to facilitate more aid deliveries.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced two days later that it had dispatched a ship carrying the necessary materials to build the temporary port.
On the Palestinian side, Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh has said on the initiative that "if the aim is to provide aid, there are five border crossings to Gaza.
"Instead of waiting three days by sea, aid can be delivered here within hours," said the premier.
Israel has waged a retaliatory offensive on Gaza since a cross-border attack by Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7, which killed nearly 1,200 people. The offensive has killed around 31,200 Palestinians and injured over 72,900 others amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.
Israel has also imposed a crippling blockade on the Palestinian enclave, leaving its population, particularly residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of starvation.
The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of most food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.
Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.
Gaza urgently needs humanitarian intervention
Despite international efforts to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, von der Leyen stressed that a more comprehensive approach was needed to address the root causes of the conflict.
While repeating that Israel "has the right to defend itself," she underscored the need to always ensure civilians are protected in line with international law.
"And right now, there is only one way to restore an adequate flow of humanitarian aid. The people of Gaza need an immediate humanitarian pause that would lead to a sustainable ceasefire. And they need it now," said von der Leyen.
The EU's Civil Protection Mechanism was activated on Tuesday to enhance support for Gaza, with von der Leyen encouraging all member states to contribute their assets to ensure stable and meaningful assistance.
Expressing concern about the risk of regional escalation and tensions due to the situation in Gaza, von der Leyen pointed to the volatile situation on Israel's Lebanon border.
"The situation at Israel's border with Lebanon continues to be explosive. Iran – that is, Hamas' patron – has continued to fuel regional tensions, for instance, with its support to Houthi terrorists in Yemen," she said.
"Just like we know they keep fuelling Russia's war against Ukraine. Let me add that we are prepared to respond with additional sanctions, in case Iran provides ballistic missiles to Russia, as recently reported."
