Tuesday, Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides will travel to Egypt and Jordan as part of a plan to open a corridor for humanitarian supplies to reach the beleaguered Gaza region of Israel.
The closest EU member state to the Middle East, Cyprus, has offered to house and run infrastructure for long-term humanitarian delivery directly to the Gaza Strip after hostilities between Israel and the terrorist Palestinian organization Hamas end.
Christodoulides planned to meet Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and King Abdullah of Jordan. There were “technical discussions” on the matter between Cypriot and Israeli officials on Sunday.
The Cypriot plan is aimed at expanding capacity for humanitarian relief directly to the coastal Gaza Strip beyond limited deliveries being made through the Rafah crossing between Egypt and the Palestinian enclave.
Such an aid corridor faces logistical, political and security challenges – Gaza has no port and its waters are shallow.
Britain, which sent 80 tonnes of Gaza-destined aid in the form of mostly blankets and tents to Cyprus last week, has offered watercraft able to access the coastline without the need for special infrastructure if the corridor ever materialises, a source with knowledge of the matter told Reuters.