Cyprus sends aid ship to Gaza

A ship carrying almost 200 tons of food for Gaza left Cyprus on Tuesday morning in a pilot project to open a new sea route to deliver aid to Palestinians on the brink of famine.

The charity ship Open Arms was seen sailing out of Larnaca port in Cyprus, towing a barge containing food, such as flour, rice, cans and protein. The mission is mostly funded by the United Arab Emirates. The journey to Gaza takes about 15 hours but the trip is expected to take two days, according to government officials.

The ship was originally set to depart last Friday, during the visit by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to Cyprus to launch the humanitarian corridor, but it was eventually delayed for four days due to technical difficulties.