Cyprus dispatches aid for Gaza, says distribution under UN watch

19/8/2025 13:51

Cyprus has dispatched 1,200 metric tons of humanitarian aid for Gaza by sea via Ashdod in Israel, its foreign ministry said on Tuesday.



The pre-screened cargo would be transferred without additional security checks on arrival in Ashdod and with international humanitarian organisation World Central Kitchen the final contractor and distributor, the Cyprus Foreign Ministry said.



"The entire undertaking is under the auspices of the U.N. delivery mechanism," it said.



Gaza has been devastated by Israel's nearly two-year-long military assault, which has killed more than 61,000 Palestinians, according to local health authorities who do not distinguish between fighters and civilians.



The ground and air war has also created a hunger crisis with aid encountering significant delays. More than 200 Gazans have died of malnutrition or starvation in the war, according to health authorities.