Deadly fighting broke out between Israeli forces and Hamas militants in Gaza on Sunday, but there appears to be no prospect of a ceasefire on the eve of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan as a serious humanitarian crisis erupts in the besieged Palestinian territory.
A Spanish charity ship with food aid is set to depart from Cyprus for the coastal Gaza Strip, where the United Nations has repeatedly warned of famine.
Aid groups say only a fraction of the supplies needed to meet basic humanitarian needs have been allowed into Gaza since October, when Israel almost completely besieged it.
About 370 kilometers (230 mi) from Cyprus across the Mediterranean Sea, Mohammed Harara stood off the coast of Gaza in the hope of reaching aid.
“I have been waiting since this morning because the holy month of Ramzan starts tomorrow and the situation is very sad,” he said.
The non-governmental group Open Arms said its boat would tow a barge with 200 tons of food, which its partner the American charity World Central Kitchen would then unload on Gaza's shores.
It is expected to depart “within the coming hours,” Cypriot government spokesman Constantino Letymbiotis told the Cyprus News Agency.
Jordanian, US, French, Belgian and Egyptian aircraft parachuted aid into northern Gaza on Sunday, but the UN aid coordinator for the territory said aid needed to reach the territory's 2.4 million people by land. The best way is to supply more through route.
