US charity's 2nd ship carrying humanitarian aid for Gaza sets sail from Southern Cyprus

By Rania Abu Shamala

ISTANBUL (AA) – Another aid shipment for besieged Gaza set sail from Southern Cyprus port with hundreds of tons of food and machinery to expedite offloading, a US-based charity said on Saturday.

“We’re sending shelf stable and ready-to-eat food and a special delivery of dates provided by the UAE for Palestinians observing Ramadan,” World Central Kitchen said on its X account.

According to Alithia newspaper's website, about 500 tons of humanitarian aid will be sent to Gaza via the second ship.

On March 15, the first humanitarian vessel, carrying 200 tons of food donated by World Central Kitchen, arrived on Gaza’s shores.

Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7 cross-border attack led by Hamas in which nearly 1,200 Israelis were killed.

More than 32,700 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have since been killed in Gaza, in addition to mass destruction, displacement and famine conditions.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.