Hamas Rates Maritime Assistance Route to Gaza as Inadequate and Too Slow

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

JAKARTA - The militant group Hamas said sending aid ships from Cyprus to the Gaza region was an inadequate response to meet the needs of its 2.4 million residents.

"According to what was announced, the ship's cargo does not exceed one or two trucks, and it will take days to arrive," said Salama Marouf, a spokesperson in a statement, reported by The Times of Israel, March 14.

He said several logistical questions about the operation had not been answered, raising concerns about Israeli inspections.

"It is still unknown where the ship will anchor and how it will reach the Gaza coast," Marouf said.

"Moreover, the ship will be inspected by the colonial army," he stressed.

Previously, World Central Kitchen (WCK) launched an aid ship from Cyprus to Gaza on Tuesday, saying it planned to distribute the aid itself once the ship reached Gaza.

A spokesperson for World Central Kitchen told CNN the organization will distribute 200 tons of food, which is the equivalent of about 500,000 meals. WCK said it had partnered with the United Arab Emirates, Cyprus, and Spanish non-governmental organization Open Arms to coordinate the delivery.

Questions also arise regarding plans for the ship's distribution after it lands in Gaza. Recent air and truck deliveries in Gaza have proven dangerous as crowds of civilians thronged delivery points, fighting desperately to get aid packages amid widespread famine in the region.

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

The organization said it could not reveal the location of the dock in Gaza where the Open Arms ship would land, but said its team was "working on it 24/7."

The voyage to Gaza usually takes about 15 hours, but heavy tow barges can extend the journey, perhaps up to two days. Cyprus is the European Union country closest to the Israel-Hamas war, located about 200 miles (320 km) northwest of Gaza.

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

On Wednesday, the ship had yet to complete the nearly 400-kilometer (250-mile) crossing from the eastern Mediterranean to Gaza, saying work was underway to build an emergency dock.