200 tons of food aid for Gaza loaded on to charity ship, but logistics hold up delivery
Correspondent Gavin Grey has a roundup of news from Europe and the UK.
Child amid rubble in Gaza. Image: Mohammed Ibrahim on Unsplash
Sara-Jayne Makwala King gets an update from UK correspondent Gavin Grey.
A ship carrying desperately needed humanitarian aid is ready to set sail for Gaza.
The Spanish vessel, operated by the charity ‘Open Arms’, is scheduled to depart from Cyprus - the closest EU country to the Strip.
The United Nations has warned that a quarter of the Gaza Strip's population is on the brink of famine and children are starving to death.
RELATED: Desperate Gazans loot aid trucks turned away by Israel
UK correspondent Gavin Grey says Israeli authorities have been busy inspecting the cargo for at least 24 hours.
That is not the only holdup.
"The problem is that, at the moment there is no working port in Gaza. We think, but we don't know for sure, that this boat will hook up with the floating pontoon being set up by the Americans, and hopefully it should then take two or three days to sail to Gaza."
"But this whole issue is beginning to get more headlines with a top European Commission official saying that there's a maritime corridor being set up, US President Joe Biden announcing the temporary floating port, and the Pentagon later saying this will take some 60 days to complete".
Gavin Grey, UK Correspondent
On Friday, a parachuted food drop operation turned lethal.
RELATED: Plans to get aid into Gaza by sea gain pace as airdrop mishap kills five
Five people were reportedly killed and another ten injured when the parachute didn't open properly.