Aid ship bound for Gaza leaves port in Cyprus

A ship taking almost 200 tonnes of food to Gaza has left a port in Cyprus in a pilot project to open a new sea route for aid to a population on the brink of famine. The charity ship Open Arms was seen sailing out of Larnaca port in Cyprus early on Tuesday, towing a barge containing about 200 tonnes of flour, rice and protein. The charities intend to take aid directly to Gaza, which has been sealed off from the outside world since Israel began its offensive in response to an attack on Israel by Hamas militants on 7 October. With the lack of port infrastructure, WCK said it was creating a landing jetty in Gaza with material from destroyed buildings and rubble. It had a further 500 tonnes of aid amassed in Cyprus, which would also be dispatched, it added First aid ship to Gaza leaves Cyprus port in pilot project Middle East crisis live – latest updates