Joint international effort set to launch maritime corridor to deliver aid to Gaza

By Nur Asena Erturk

ANKARA (AA) – Five months into a relentless Israel offensive, and amid reports of death by starvation in the Gaza Strip, a joint international effort on Friday announced the activation of a maritime corridor to deliver humanitarian assistance to the besieged Palestinian enclave.

Citing the "dire" humanitarian situation in Gaza, the European Commission, United Arab Emirates, US, Britain, and the Greek Cypriot administration issued a joint statement "endorsing the activation of a maritime corridor."

The delivery will be "in coordination with UN Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza Sigrid Kaag – who is charged with facilitating, coordinating, monitoring, and verifying the flow of aid into Gaza," the statement said.

"The dedicated efforts of the UAE to mobilize support for the (Amalthea) Initiative will result in the initial shipment of food by sea to the people of Gaza," it added.

This corridor aims to "increase the flow of humanitarian aid and commercial commodities into Gaza through all possible routes," the source said.

The five actors also said they would continue pushing Israel to "facilitate more routes and open additional crossings to get more aid to more people.”

The US on Thursday announced it was setting up a floating pier off the coast of Gaza for the delivery of humanitarian aid, after starting airdrops into Gaza several days earlier for the same purpose.

Israel launched a destructive military campaign in the Gaza Strip in response to the Oct. 7 attack by Palestinian group Hamas, which killed 1,200 people and abducted about 250.

Over 30,800 Palestinians have since been killed, most of the 2.3 million population has been displaced, and many are starving amid a worsening humanitarian catastrophe. Despite an international outcry, Israeli forces have also attacked health centers and hospitals in the enclave.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement, amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

The country also 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.