Aid Supply To Gaza Strip, Japan Will Join Maritime Corridor Initiation

JAKARTA - A ship carrying much-needed food supplies arrived off the Palestinian coast on Friday, March 15, three days after starting sailing from the Port of Larnaca of the Greek Cypriot government.

The shipment was a test of a sea route from Larnaca to Gaza to supply aid to Palestinians under international scrutiny, including the United States and the European Union (EU).

Wekawa said the corridor could help provide unlimited assistance to the people in Gaza, who have been experiencing Israeli bombings and ground attacks since early October.

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa announced that her country would join the maritime corridor initiative to supply humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip by sea.

"The Japanese government plans to immediately coordinate with other countries involved to deliver food, medical supplies and cleanliness through maritime corridors," Kamikawa was quoted as saying by the Jiji Press news agency, on Friday, March 16.

Israel has waged war in Gaza since the cross-border attack by the Palestinian Hamas group on October 7, 2023. Since then, Israeli attacks have killed some 31,500 Palestinians and pushed the region to the brink of starvation, in addition to causing mass destruction and evacuation.

Israel is accused of committing genocide at the International Court, which in a temporary decision in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocide and take action that guarantees humanitarian aid is given to civilians in Gaza.

America has announced plans to build a temporary dock on the Gaza coastline to allow large-scale shipments of humanitarian aid.