Some discussion in the press, both Cypriot and international, of establishing a sea corridor for delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza. General agreement on desirability, with President Nikos Christodoulides announcing that he had had a long telephone conversation with Netanyahu who, he says “was not opposed”. The distance from the Cypriot port of Limassol to Gaza is only 390 kilometres, but sea access is not normally possible as the coast is patrolled by the Israeli navy. So does this mean that aid could be provided almost immediately? Well, not precisely. A more cautious note from a Cypriot government spokesman: “This will be a big operation and one which needs to be coordinated in advance with international aid agencies”. So not soon.
Then, from The Times of Israel: “The underlying premise of Cyprus’s proposal is to have a constant flow of large quantities of assistance delivered by sea during what the officials called ‘humanitarian pauses’ in the fighting, to enable aid to reach those in need. We want to be ready to start sending aid once a window of opportunity opens.” So after the war is over? For anyone who remains.