The European Commission, the Republic of Cyprus, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States have issued a joint statement regarding the activation of a maritime corridor to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza. The statement reads: "The humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is tragic, as Palestinian families and innocent children are in urgent need of basic necessities. For this reason, the European Commission, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, the Republic of Cyprus, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States express their determination to open a maritime corridor to deliver urgently needed additional aid by sea.
Cyprus's leadership in establishing the 'Amalthia Initiative', which outlines a mechanism for securely shipping aid from Cyprus to Gaza by sea, has been a crucial element in activating joint efforts to launch the maritime corridor. Our countries intend to build on this model to provide adequate additional aid by sea, and to cooperate with the United Nations’ Senior Coordinator for Humanitarian Affairs and Reconstruction in Gaza, Sigird Kaag, who is responsible for facilitating, coordinating, and verifying the flow of aid reaching Gaza under United Nations Security Council Resolution 2720. The tireless efforts of the United Arab Emirates to garner support for this initiative will lead to the first shipment of food being sent by sea to the residents of Gaza.
Cyprus will convene a meeting of senior officials soon to discuss how to expedite this maritime channel to support those in need, complementing the aid delivered through land and air routes, which also pass through Egypt and Jordan. The United States has also announced an emergency mission led by the U.S. military to establish a temporary seaport in Gaza in collaboration with humanitarian partners and other countries aimed at delivering large quantities of aid by sea, in close coordination with the Government of Israel."
