Saturday’s shipment marks the second delivery by sea to the besieged enclave, which faces imminent famine in the north. A cargo ship transporting humanitarian aid for Gaza sails, as seen from Larnaca, Cyprus, on March 30, 2024 [Yiannis Kourtoglou/Reuters]

Larnaca, March 30 (RHC)-- A three-ship convoy has left Cyprus’s Larnaca Port headed for the Gaza Strip with nearly 400 tonnes of food and other supplies as people continue to die from hunger in the enclave amid Israel’s ongoing war.   The aid that departed on Saturday will be taken to Gaza by a cargo ship and a platform towed by a salvage vessel.

Charity, World Central Kitchen (WCK) said the vessels were carrying ready-to-eat items like rice, pasta, flour, legumes, canned vegetables, and proteins, enough to prepare more than one million meals.   Dates, which are traditionally eaten to break the daily fast during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, were also on board.

An aid ship operated by the Spanish NGO Open Arms delivered 200 tonnes of food aid on March 16, which WCK distributed.  During that mission, a makeshift jetty was constructed from rubble to enable offloading in the enclave, which does not have any port facilities.

The mission was financed mainly by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and received the support of the Cypriot authorities.

Saturday’s dispatch includes two forklifts and a crane to assist with future marine deliveries.