The European Union began sending this Friday humanitarian aid to Gaza via artificial pier built United Statesand dropped anchor off the coast of the Gaza Strip to facilitate the arrival of aid amid the closure of land crossings.

European Commission the statement said that it had begun sending help from today along the sea corridor from Cyprus to this pier, which has just been opened.

The first delivery consists of 88,000 cans of food transportation Romania through EU Civil Protection Mechanism. The Commission is responsible for covering shipping costs for this delivery.

The community leader also explained that EU Logistics Center in Cyprus to help manage the further flow of aid into Gaza.

He EU Emergency Response Coordination Center The Commission continues to maintain close contact with Member States and humanitarian partners to mobilize offers of assistance through the maritime corridor with a view to increasing aid supplies, the Commission said.

“The arrival of the first batch of EU aid to the new US dock in the Gaza Strip through the sea corridor is great news,” the president of the community’s executive committee emphasized on the social network. Ursula von der Leyen.

According to von der Leyen, this step “shows the way forward”: “We will continue to provide humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in need,” he stressed.

This new supply of maritime assistance complements more than 2000 metric tons have already been sent on EU humanitarian airlift flights and to 193 million euros humanitarian funding that the bloc of communities provided this year to Palestinians in need.

The commission stated that sea ​​corridor It complements existing land routes into Gaza, such as the Kerem Shalom and Rafah border crossings, but makes clear that “it is not intended to replace them.”

“The EU calls Israel guarantee permanent access through new routes such as the Erez border crossing and the use of Ashdod port,” he concluded.

European Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarcic, noted the initiative which started today, but was considered “obvious that no significant replacement for land routes through Egypt and Jordan and entry points from Israel to Gaza to deliver aid on a large scale.”

Therefore, in accordance with its obligations under international humanitarian law, called on Israel to expand ground supplies and “immediately” open additional transitions.