Palestine probes sea corridor between Southern Cyprus, Gaza

By Qais Omar Darwesh Omar and Esat Firat

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) - Palestine assigned Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki on Wednesday to investigate the details of the planned sea corridor between Southern Cyprus and the Gaza Strip.

The weekly cabinet meeting in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank discussed the sea corridor, according to a Palestine government statement.

It said in the meetings conducted by al-Maliki that the assurance of the Palestinians' stay in the Gaza Strip will be guaranteed.

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said in his opening speech: "We objected to the sea corridor agreed upon between the Southern Cyprus and Israel. This is because we have suspicions that the ships operated by Cyprus could be used to remove our people from Gaza."

"We have not officially heard anything from Cyprus rejecting these suspicions. We have not received assurance from them that these ships will not be part of Israel's plan," he added.

Israel's Foreign Ministry announced in a statement Dec. 20 that Foreign Minister Eli Cohen discussed the opening of a sea corridor to Gaza with his Greek-administration Cypriot counterpart, Constantinos Kombos.

The statement indicated that within the scope of the planned sea corridor, humanitarian aid sent to Gaza would undergo inspection under Israeli coordination at the multi-purpose center established at the Larnaca Port before being sent directly to Gaza without passing through Israel.

Cohen said the corridor would contribute to Israel's economic withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.

After the Israeli military expanded its land occupation in the Gaza Strip, the Kerem Shalom Crossing, through which goods entered Gaza from Israel, was closed.

Humanitarian aid entering Gaza from the Rafah border crossing in Egypt is subject to Israeli control.

Humanitarian organizations affiliated with the UN have drawn attention to the lack of housing for civilians forcibly displaced in the Gaza Strip, where 1.9 million out of the total population of 2.3 million have been displaced due to attacks.

The UN has highlighted the challenges of hunger, lack of clean water, the risk of epidemic diseases and the inadequacy of humanitarian aid in Gaza.

*Writing by Alperen Aktas from Istanbul