Relief to Gaza will be scaled up, Cyprus is key route, says UAE minister

The United Arab Emirates is preparing to increase aid deliveries into Gaza, an envoy said on Friday, saying a sea corridor from Cyprus was essential alongside land and air access.

Minister of State Lana Nusseibeh said a maritime route channelling pre-screened aid from the East Mediterranean island was a vital lifeline to the people of Gaza. The UAE has partnered with Cyprus in supplying large quantities of aid to the Palestinian enclave, devastated by a two-year war.

"Maintaining multiple entry points into Gaza remains incredibly important," Nusseibeh said after an inspection of aid accumulating at the port of Limassol in Cyprus.

Lana Nusseibeh talks to the media during a press conference at the port in city of Limassol, Cyprus. AP

"As this plan moves forward, access to Gaza by land, air and sea is going to remain critical," she told reporters.

Despite the ceasefire, far too little aid was reaching Gaza, humanitarian agencies said on Tuesday.

Some 22,000 tons of pre-screened aid has been dispatched from Cyprus under the so-called Amalthea Initiative launched last year.

Some of it reached Gaza directly via a short-lived temporary pier set up by the US last year, while other shipments have been dispatched to the port of Ashdod in Israel.

Reuters