By Marlyn Montilla
08 Mar 2024, 15:30 PM EST
Israel received this Friday “with satisfaction” the announcement that a humanitarian maritime corridor will be inaugurated this weekend from Chipe to the Gaza Strip, an initiative that comes from the European Union (EU) and the United States.
“The Cypriot initiative will allow for increased humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, after security checks are carried out in accordance with Israeli standards,” said Lior Haiat, representative of the Israeli Foreign Ministry, a country that keeps the roads closed. land access to the enclave.
Currently, Israel allows, after specific controls, the entry of humanitarian aid through the Kerem Shalom crossing, which connects Gaza and Israel, with an average of about 250 trucks a day in the last week (previously it was around one hundred), a very low figure. for the enormous needs of the Strip.
“Israel will continue to facilitate the transfer of humanitarian aid to residents of the Gaza Strip in accordance with the rules of war and in coordination with the United States and our allies around the world,” the ministry stated.
For her part, the president of the European Commission, Ursula Von der Leyen, announced this Friday that the maritime corridor with aid for Gaza will begin operations this Saturday or Sunday, although there will be a first pilot trip leaving Cyprus this Friday.
“We are very close to the opening of the corridor, hopefully this Saturday, this Sunday, and I am very happy to see that today a first pilot operation will be launched,” said the community leader at a press conference in Larnaca (Cyprus) together with the Cypriot president, Nikos Jristodoulidis.
Likewise, President Joe Biden announced on Thursday the construction of a temporary port off the coast of Gaza to facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid and control from there what is shipped from Cyprus by sea.
“It is very important that more countries join the Cypriot initiative and the international effort to transfer aid,” said the Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesperson, who highlighted Israel’s intention to continue with the war until all its objectives are met: destroying Hamas and bring back the hostages.
In recent weeks, the international community, particularly the United States, is pressuring Israel to facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid to the Strip, where famine has left several dead in the north, since it is Israel that supervises everything that enters. , likewise what happens through the Rafah crossing with Egypt.
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