Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides plans to visit Egypt and Jordan tomorrow, Tuesday, as part of an initiative to establish a corridor for sending humanitarian aid to the besieged Gaza Strip. Cyprus, the closest EU member state to the Middle East, has proposed to host and operate facilities to provide sustainable aid directly to Gaza once the fighting between Israel and the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) has ended.
Christodoulides is scheduled to meet with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Jordanian King Abdullah. "Technical talks" regarding this matter were held between officials from Cyprus and Israel yesterday, Sunday. The Cypriot proposal aims to enhance the capacity to send relief aid directly to the coastal Gaza Strip, surpassing the limited deliveries currently taking place through the Rafah crossing between Egypt and the territory.
The aid corridor faces logistical, political, and security challenges, as there is no port in Gaza and its shores have shallow waters. A source familiar with the situation told Reuters that the UK has offered to send watercraft capable of reaching the coast without the need for special infrastructure if the corridor is established. Last week, the UK sent 80 tons of aid for Gaza, consisting of blankets and tents, to Cyprus. Approximately 80% of Gaza's 2.3 million residents have left their homes due to Israeli bombardment that has turned much of the crowded coastal territory into desolate land.
