Humanitarian Ship Ready To Distribute 500 Thousand Food Packages, UN Says It's Not A Substitute For Land Assistance

Open Arms ships carrying World Central Kitchen humanitarian aid. (Twitter/@chefjosecondres)

JAKARTA - The United Nations welcomes the news of a humanitarian ship carrying World Central Kitchen (WCK) aid that sends food to Gaza, but emphasizes the ship is "not a substitute" for land aid for Gazans who are on the verge of starvation.

"Food and other emergency aid entering Gaza, as we all know, is urgently needed, undeniably, so this is highly appreciated," said UN Humanitarian Affairs Coordination Office (OCHA) spokesman Jens Laerke, quoted by CNN March 13.

"(However,) this is not a substitute for land transportation in the form of food and other emergency assistance to Gaza and especially northern Gaza. This cannot replace this," he continued.

Earlier, a World Central Kitchen spokesman told CNN the organization would distribute 200 tonnes of food, which is equivalent to about 500,000 servings of food.

WCK launched an aid ship from Cyprus to Gaza on Tuesday, saying it plans to distribute the aid itself once the ship reaches Gaza.

WCK said it had partnered with the United Arab Emirates, Cyprus and non-governmental organization Spain Open Arms to coordinate the shipment.

Questions also arise about the ship's distribution plan after landing in Gaza. Shipping by air and trucks recently in Gaza proved dangerous as crowds of civilians crowding the delivery points struggled to get aid packages amid widespread hunger on the track.

WCK is working with thousands of local contractors and volunteers to regulate and distribute aid, the spokesperson said.

The organization said it was unable to reveal the location of the dock in Gaza where the Open Arms ships would land, but said its team "worked it 24/7."

Shipping to Gaza usually takes about 15 hours, but a tough crane can extend the journey, perhaps for up to two days. Cyprus itself is the European Union's closest to the Israel-Hamas war, located about 200 miles (320 km) northwest of Gaza.

Separately, the Coordinator of Israeli Government Activities in the Region (COGAT) said Israel had "participated in the ship's inspection process." However, the agency did not specify when and where.

It is known, COGAT examined all aid entering the Gaza region. The Israeli body was accused by an aid agency of refusing access for arbitrary or without reason at all.