Aid ship carrying food, supplies reaches Gaza for first time in war

A charity ship laden with 200 tons of food, equipment and relief supplies for the people of northern Gaza reached the coast of the Palestinian territory on Friday.

It was the first time a humanitarian ship had carried out such a mission since the start of the Israeli offensive over five months ago.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said its naval and ground units were deployed to secure the aid mission, which was coordinated by the United Arab Emirates.

With the operation, the Open Arms ship, operated by a Spanish aid group, also inaugurated a new so-called maritime corridor for supplies to the territory.

The Open Arms ship left Cyprus on Tuesday carrying rice, flour, canned meat and other food for the hungry people of Gaza.

The food shipment was organized by World Central Kitchen (WCK), the non-profit organization started by US-based celebrity chef José Andrés.

The organization took crates of food from the Open Arms and transported it to shore via small barges. It was then transferred to trucks for onward travel to northern Gaza.

"The ship contained 130 pallets of humanitarian equipment and 115 tons of food and water, that were transferred to 12 WCK trucks, which will distribute them to northern Gaza," the IDF said.

World Central Kitchen said they are shipping a crane, along with more food, on a second vessel they will dispatch to Gaza soon. The crane is to help get the aid to the shore and delivery trucks faster.

The humanitarian situation of the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip has been worsening dramatically for weeks, with a critical shortage of basic necessities. Aid groups and the UN warn that hunger and malnutrition have taken hold in Gaza, especially in the north.

According to the UN children's aid organisation UNICEF, 31% of children under the age of 2 in the northern Gaza Strip are acutely malnourished. In January, the figure was 15.6% of children.

The United States, Germany, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and other countries have been airdropping urgently needed food and medical supplies.

The US also plans to have its army construct a floating dock off Gaza to facilitate maritime aid shipments.

While aid groups have welcomed the deliveries from the air and sea, they say land crossings are still the most effective method and are calling on Israel to allow more lorries to cross into Gaza.

Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza, which began following Hamas-led massacres in Israel on October 7, started with airstrikes and then a ground offensive in the north of the coastal territory.

The Israeli army then moved southwards in Gaza in its attempt to completely eliminate the terrorist group.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved plans for a long-anticipated military operation in the southernmost city of Rafah on Friday, according to his office.

Netanyahu has said that "total victory" over Hamas is not possible without an operation in Rafah, which lies on the border with Egypt.

The move comes despite growing international criticism and warnings from key Israeli allies, as more than 1 million Palestinians are sheltering there after fleeing fighting elsewhere in the strip.

Politicians and aid groups are calling on Israel to draw up plans on how and where the people in the Rafah area can be brought to safety before any military operation.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Israel needs to protect civilians ahead of its planned operation in Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip.

"We have to see a clear and implementable plan, not only to get civilians out of harm's way but also to make sure that once they are out of harm's way, they are appropriately cared for," Blinken said.

An Israeli army spokesman said earlier on Friday that the military would make sure civilians are safe.

Spokesman Arye Shalicar said that in the event of an operation in Rafah, the civilians would be evacuated to safer places such as the al-Mawasi camp. "That is what we have been doing in recent months and that is exactly how we would operate when it comes to Rafah," he said.

He stressed however that leaders of Hamas were suspected to be in the city, along with many remaining fighters from the Palestinian Islamist group.

The terrorist attack by Hamas on October 7 left more than 1,200 people in the Israeli border area dead, and some 250 kidnapped.

According to the Hamas health authority, more than 31,300 people have been killed in Israeli attacks and fighting in the Gaza Strip since then.