Mustafa Haboush
13 March 2024•Update: 13 March 2024
GAZA CITY, Palestine
Gaza’s government media office cast doubts Wednesday over the success of a sea route for delivering humanitarian aid in relieving famine in the besieged enclave.
A ship loaded with humanitarian aid for the Gaza Strip set sail from the Greek Cypriot Administration on Tuesday, according to international charity World Central Kitchen.
The aid ship was part of a maritime corridor to deliver aid to the Palestinian enclave, which has been under a crippling Israeli blockade since last October.
“Relief efforts remain below the minimum required to relieve the humanitarian catastrophe afflicting our people,” Salama Maarouf, head of the media office, said in a statement.
“It remains unclear where the aid ships will dock and how will they reach Gaza’s coast, therefore the success of this sea route remains to be seen.”
Maarouf called for piling pressure on Israel to allow access to humanitarian aid via land terminals with Egypt and Gaza.
“The international community must come together before it is too late to save those dying of hunger,” he added.
Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 cross-border attack led by the Palestinian group Hamas in which nearly 1,200 people were killed.
More than 31,272 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have since been killed in Gaza, and over 73,024 others injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.
Israel has also imposed a crippling blockade on the Palestinian enclave, leaving its population, particularly residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of starvation.
According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, at least 27 people have died of malnutrition and dehydration in Gaza as a result of the Israeli blockade.
The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of most food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.
Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.
*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul
