RAFAH, Gaza Strip – An aid ship loaded with almost 200 tons of food collected by José Andrés’ World Central Kitchen set sail for Gaza on Tuesday, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have been pushed to the brink of starvation amid the Israel-Hamas war.
The shipment will serve as a test for the opening of a sea corridor to supply aid to the territory as the fighting stretches into its fifth month.
The push to get food in by sea, and through a campaign of airdrops, comes following the international community’s frustration at not being able to get aid in by land.
FILE IMAGE – Celebrated Chef Jose Andres talks to journalists about why he was converting Zaytinya into a grab-and-go meal restaurant in response to the novel coronavirus March 17, 2020, in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
The food on the aid ship was collected by World Central Kitchen, the charity founded by Andrés. It’s being transported by the Spanish aid group Open Arms. The ship left from the eastern Mediterranean island nation of Cyprus. It’s expected to arrive in Gaza in two to three days.
The United States is also planning to construct a sea bridge near Gaza in order to deliver aid, but the project will likely take several weeks to implement.
President Joe Biden’s administration has provided military aid for Israel while urging it to facilitate more humanitarian access.
READ MORE: US military will deploy temporary aid port on Gaza’s coast
After weeks of preparation, WCK’s Operation Safeena is underway. We dispatched almost 200 tons of food for Palestinians in need. The aid is sailing on the Open Arms boat and will be delivered to Gaza where our team is building a jetty to offload the shipment.#ChefsForThePeople pic.twitter.com/Zu1FSBNfeu
— World Central Kitchen (@WCKitchen) March 12, 2024
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