Second aid ship expected to set sail for Gaza as Palestinians await distribution from first delivery
A shipment of aid that arrived on Gaza’s shore on Friday is expected to bring some respite to starving Palestinians in the enclave’s north — but how and when it will be distributed has yet to be seen.
JERUSALEM — A shipment of aid that arrived on Gaza’s shore on Friday is expected to bring some respite to starving Palestinians in the enclave’s north — but how and when it will be distributed has yet to be seen.
Tons of flour, rice and canned foods were offloaded from the ship Saturday, according to World Central Kitchen, the charity that collected the food and organized the maritime aid shipment. The much-needed aid was was transported 200 miles from the Larnaca port of Cyprus to Gaza by the Open Arms, a ship named after the charity.
On Sunday, World Central Kitchen, which was launched by celebrity chef José Andrés and which runs a network of around 60 kitchens across the Gaza Strip, said the aid was in a warehouse and had yet to be distributed.
Earlier Sunday, COGAT, Israel's military liaison with the Palestinians, said World Central Kitchen trucks had "distributed the aid" from the maritime delivery in northern Gaza. A spokesperson for COGAT later told NBC News that was not correct and said it was a separate aid delivery that was distributed north.
The location of the warehouse where the aid was being held and the plan to distribute the food were not immediately clear, with World Central Kitchen noting Saturday that "this is a constantly evolving mission that changes constantly due to the realities on the ground."
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