A new shipment of humanitarian aid bound for the Gaza Strip via the Amalthia maritime corridor is expected to reach the port of Ashdod on Saturday, according to the Director of the Presidential Press Office, Viktoras Papadopoulos.
President Nikos Christodoulides announced the latest mission from Brussels early on Friday, stating that the delivery consists of 950 tonnes of assistance, including 44 containers provided by the Republic of Cyprus, the United Arab Emirates, France, Slovakia and Kuwait.
Papadopoulos told CNA that the cargo includes food supplies and hygiene items. The operation is coordinated with the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), the UAE and other partner states such as France and Kuwait, alongside international humanitarian organisations including World Central Kitchen.
Fifth mission in five months
This is the fifth shipment dispatched between August and December. It follows four earlier missions carrying a combined total of 4,000 tonnes of aid. Since the activation of the Amalthia plan in March 2024, overall assistance transferred to Gaza through Cyprus has reached 30,000 tonnes, Papadopoulos noted.
He added that more sailings are expected in January due to growing international interest in using the Cypriot corridor, with aid flows set to increase further in the coming weeks.
Direct entry to Ashdod
There is coordination with the Israeli government to allow the vessel to dock directly at the port of Ashdod, Papadopoulos said, adding that the shipment is expected to arrive and be unloaded later today.
World Central Kitchen, which operates extensively inside Gaza, wrote in a statement that it is working jointly with the Cypriot Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and UNOPS. The organisation expressed gratitude for the continued support delivered through the Amalthia route, stressing that the Cyprus corridor enables the transport of hundreds of tonnes of essential food items such as flour, pasta and rice. This support sustains its network of community kitchens across Gaza and helps ensure that millions more meals can be provided to families in need.