A tugboat aid shipment is approaching the Gaza coast, carrying around 200 tonnes of much-needed food and other supplies, with a second shipment currently being loaded onto a small cargo ship. World Central Kitchen, the NGO behind the plan, admits it is a Hail Mary pass. There is no suitable receiving pier, and their team continues to work to construct one from the rubble as tugboats approach their destination.
“We have crews working 24/7 and we are working very hard to build this 60 meter long pier, which will, if things go well, allow us to carry more We will now be able to start transporting humanitarian supplies,” said WCK founder José Andres. NPR. “The need and the urgency is so great that the worst thing we can do is not try new methods.”
The location of the destination is being kept secret for now. The security situation in Gaza is unstable, and there have been incidents of interference with aid convoys.
The trajectory of the Open Arms from Cyprus to Gaza (Pole Star)
tug boat spread your arms It appears that you encountered GPS jamming or spoofing during your voyage. As it passed south of Cyprus, the AIS location jumped from the eastern Mediterranean to the center of Beirut International Airport. Similar patterns of “improbable” AIS movements have also been detected in areas of suspected GPS jamming, such as the Russian sector of the Black Sea.
A second, much larger aid cargo has already been loaded onto a smaller cargo ship at Cyprus's Larnaca port. Like the first one, the shipment is marked with the logo of the UAE aid organization.
Andres acknowledged that it would be much easier to deliver the needed amount of aid if border restrictions to Gaza were lifted. But there are major political hurdles to clear before that goal can be achieved, with Andres saying only: “This is not happening and it is out of our control.”
The Biden administration has reached a similar conclusion and launched a 1,000-person mission to build and operate a temporary landing pier on Gaza's northern coast. A platoon of U.S. Army amphibious ships is departing from Virginia to deliver the equipment, and the operation is expected to begin within about 60 days.
