CNA News

More than 50 tonnes of aid in Limassol Port destined for Gaza

Humanitarian aid exceeding 50 tonnes is at the Limassol Port and will be sent to the population of Gaza in the very near future through the ‘Amalthea” humanitarian corridor.

Theodoros Gotsis, Spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told the Cyprus News Agency (CNA) that the humanitarian aid arrived in Cyprus from the Order of Malta last month and will be sent to the port of Ashdod.

He recalled that during Monday’s meeting between the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Constantinos Kombos, and the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, in New York, the two officials focused on the issues related to the delivery of humanitarian aid through the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS).

He added that, it is important that since December, funding of these efforts from the Amalthea Fund based in Cyprus, has been activated. The Fund, which is essentially sponsored by the United Arab Emirates, and UNOPS plays a central role in the operation, he said.

Gotsis said that along with other aid expected to arrive, the cargo will depart in the very near future, around mid-February, for the port of Ashdod.

He clarified that the protocol is strictly followed, and the humanitarian aid is scanned in Cyprus beforehand, and upon arrival in Ashdod, it is delivered to UNOPS, and it is in “the best possible hands.”

It is noted that approximately 24,000 tons of humanitarian aid have been sent so far through Amalthea.