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- Ελληνικά
The humanitarian situation in Gaza is dire with innocent Palestinian families and children desperate for basic needs. That is why today, the European Commission, Germany, Greece, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, the Republic of Cyprus, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States of America are announcing our intention to open a sea corridor to provide urgently needed additional quantities of humanitarian aid by sea.
Cyprus' leadership in establishing the Amalthea Initiative - which outlines the mechanism for sending aid safely from Cyprus to Gaza by sea - was instrumental in enabling this collaborative effort to create a sea corridor. Together our states intend to build on this model to provide additional substantial assistance by sea, working in coordination with the UN Special Coordinator for Humanitarian Affairs and Reconstruction of Gaza Ms Sigrid Kaag, who is mandated under UNSCR 2720 to facilitate, coordinate, supervise and confirm the flow of assistance to Gaza. The dedicated efforts of the United Arab Emirates to actively engage in support of the initiative will result in the first shipment of food by sea to the population of Gaza.
Cyprus will soon convene a meeting between senior officials to discuss how this maritime channel of support to the population in need can be accelerated, complementing land and air routes, including from Egypt and Jordan. The US announced an emergency operation led by the US Armed Forces to establish a temporary dock in Gaza, in coordination with other humanitarian partners and other countries, to enable the delivery of significant amounts of aid by sea. These efforts will be closely coordinated with the Government of Israel.
Delivering humanitarian assistance directly to Gaza by sea will be complex, and our States will continue to assess and adjust their efforts to ensure that assistance is delivered as efficiently as possible.
The sea corridor can - and should - be part of a sustained effort to increase the passage of humanitarian aid to Gaza through all possible channels. We will continue to work with Israel to expand land deliveries, insisting on facilitating more crossings and opening additional transit points to get more aid to more people. We reaffirm that the protection of civilian lives is a fundamental principle of international humanitarian law that must be respected. And together we must do more to ensure that aid is delivered to the people who desperately need it.
(PM/NYAN/EATH)
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