Following news of the arrival of three humanitarian aid ships from Cyprus to the Gaza coast, government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis on Tuesday morning said that humanitarian aid is being collected and “as soon as conditions permit”, the third shipment will be sent via the Amalthea initiative.
Weather conditions slowed delivery.
The spokesman’s statement came despite news that World Central Kitchen (WCK) aid workers participating in the humanitarian programme out of Cyprus had been killed by an Israeli bomb attack.
Seven workers of the non-governmental organisation (WCK) were killed on Monday, in an Israeli airstrike on their vehicle the American NGO announced on Tuesday, raising the number of dead from the initially confirmed five.
The NGO has meanwhile said it is suspending its activities in the region. What impact this has on the Cyprus leg of the aid effort remains to be seen.
“World Central Kitchen is devastated to confirm that seven members of our team have been killed in Gaza by Israeli armed forces,” the US-based NGO said.
According to the statement, the workers were from Australia, Poland, Britain, one had dual US-Canadian citizenship and one was Palestinian.
Despite the fact that WCK was acting in coordination with the Israeli armed forces, its convoy was hit as it was leaving a depot in the Gaza Strip city of Deir al-Bala after unloading more than 100 tonnes of humanitarian aid for the enclaved Palestinians.
“This is not just an attack on WCK, this is an attack on the humanitarian organisations that operate in the most difficult conditions, where food is used as a weapon of war,” WCK executive Erin Gore stated.
“Its unforgivable,” he said.
For his part, founder of the NGO, chef Jose Andres, said he mourned for the families and friends of the dead.
“My heart is broken,” he said.
“The Israeli government must stop the indiscriminate killings,” he said in a post on social media. “It must stop cutting humanitarian aid, stop killing civilians and aid workers, and stop using food as a weapon of war. May no more innocent lives be lost. Peace begins through our common humanity. It has to start now.”
WCK announced that it was suspending its operations in the region and that it would soon make decisions as to its future moves.
Contents of this article including associated images are belongs Cyprus Mail
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or Cyprus Mail
Source
