A ship carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza is expected to depart from Larnaca, Cyprus, on Sunday, according to Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides.
Cyprus, the European Commission, the United States, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom are working to establish a maritime corridor to deliver aid assistance directly to Gaza.
Christodoulides told journalists on Saturday that the first ship was expected to leave within a day.
“The ship will depart Larnaca in the next 24 hours. I can't say the exact time for security reasons. We are in constant contact, on the one hand, with the states that supported this initiative,” Christodoulides said on Saturday.
Christodoulides stated that additional countries are also expressing their interest in participating in the initiative, outlining on Saturday that “we are receiving phone calls from heads of state or government or from foreign ministers, expressing us their desire to participate in the initiative.”
It comes amid a flurry of actions by the international community to alleviate the crisis in Gaza. More than two million people are in need of food and the medical system has all but collapsed.
Israel put Gaza under siege following the October 7 attacks but insists it is working to meet the needs of those on the ground.
The US earlier said it is sending the first equipment needed to establish a temporary pier near Gaza.