Gaza-Bound Ship with 1,200 Tons of Food Aid Nears Israeli Port
Panamanian-flagged vessel HENKE expected to dock at Ashdod late Tuesday and start offloading aid on Wednesday.
A ship carrying 1,200 tons of food supplies for the Gaza Strip approached the Israeli port of Ashdod on Tuesday.
The Panamanian-flagged vessel HENKE is loaded with 52 containers containing pasta, rice, baby food, and canned goods that were screened by Israeli customs officials at the Cypriot port of Limassol from where it departed on Monday.
Some 700 tons of aid are from Cyprus and were purchased with money donated by the United Arab Emirates to the Amalthea Fund.
The rest comes from Italy, Malta's government, a Catholic religious order in Malta, and Kuwait's Al Salam Association.
Cyprus Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos described the situation as 'beyond dire.' The aid mission is led by the United Nations and once offloaded at Ashdod, UN employees will arrange for it to be trucked to storage areas and food stations operated by World Central Kitchen.
Shipborne deliveries can bring much larger quantities of aid than air drops made recently in Gaza.
The latest shipment comes a day after Hamas accepted a new proposal from Arab mediators for a ceasefire, although Israel has not approved this proposal.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed reports of starvation in Gaza as 'lies,' but the UN warned last week that starvation and malnutrition levels are at their highest since Oct. 7, 2023.
The Palestinian death toll from 22 months of war has passed 62,000 according to Gaza's Health Ministry.
The Panamanian-flagged vessel HENKE is loaded with 52 containers containing pasta, rice, baby food, and canned goods that were screened by Israeli customs officials at the Cypriot port of Limassol from where it departed on Monday.
Some 700 tons of aid are from Cyprus and were purchased with money donated by the United Arab Emirates to the Amalthea Fund.
The rest comes from Italy, Malta's government, a Catholic religious order in Malta, and Kuwait's Al Salam Association.
Cyprus Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos described the situation as 'beyond dire.' The aid mission is led by the United Nations and once offloaded at Ashdod, UN employees will arrange for it to be trucked to storage areas and food stations operated by World Central Kitchen.
Shipborne deliveries can bring much larger quantities of aid than air drops made recently in Gaza.
The latest shipment comes a day after Hamas accepted a new proposal from Arab mediators for a ceasefire, although Israel has not approved this proposal.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed reports of starvation in Gaza as 'lies,' but the UN warned last week that starvation and malnutrition levels are at their highest since Oct. 7, 2023.
The Palestinian death toll from 22 months of war has passed 62,000 according to Gaza's Health Ministry.
