European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Friday that an initiative to deliver aid to Gaza through Cyprus seaports – which President Joe Biden outlined in his State of the Union address on Thursday night – could be Get up and running on Sunday or even earlier.
Von der Leyen told a joint press conference in Cyprus on Friday with Cypriot President Nicos Christodoulides that the corridor was close to opening and could be operational on Sunday, perhaps as early as Saturday and on Monday. 5. Launch preliminary pilot projects.
In his annual State of the Union address to Congress, President Biden said the U.S. military would “lead an emergency mission to establish a temporary dock in the Mediterranean off Gaza’s coast that could receive large shipments of food, water, medicine and temporary shelter.” . ”
The European Commission, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, the Republic of Cyprus, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States issued a joint statement on Friday formally announcing plans to open the corridor.
“This maritime corridor can and must be part of ongoing efforts to increase the flow of humanitarian aid and commercial goods into Gaza through all possible routes,” the statement read. “We will continue to work with Israel to expand overland delivery and insist on opening it. More routes and opening more crossings to provide more assistance to more people.
During a background briefing on Thursday, a senior administration official told reporters that the port’s main feature is a temporary terminal that will provide hundreds of additional truckloads of aid each day, with the first shipments to be carried out by the U.S. military and the Israeli military. Passed through Cyprus with the support of A coalition of partners and allies.
The official said the United States would coordinate with Israel on land security requirements and work with the United Nations and humanitarian NGOs to distribute aid across Gaza.
The official said the operation would take “several weeks” to plan and execute. “The forces needed to accomplish this are either already in the area or will begin moving there soon.”
The official noted that there would be no U.S. troops on the ground in Gaza. Instead, the U.S. military will use its “unique capabilities” to build facilities from the sea.
Certain information for this report was provided by Reuters and AFP.
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