Israel agrees to allow cargo ships to Gaza Strip

Israel's foreign minister says the country is ready to allow aid ships to reach the Gaza Strip "immediately", under a maritime corridor proposed by Cyprus.

“The corridor can be operational immediately,” Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said on December 31 when asked about the maritime corridor to deliver aid to Gaza, a strip of land bordering the Mediterranean. According to Cohen, Britain, France, Greece and the Netherlands are among the countries whose ships can reach Gaza, an area without a deep-water port.

"They asked us to let the vehicle dock at the Israeli port of Ashdod. The answer was no. The cargo would not go through Ashdod or Israel. We were not involved in this operation, only security control," said Mr. Cohen.

Britain, France, Greece and the Netherlands have not commented on the information.

Israeli tanks and armored vehicles parked along the coast in the Gaza Strip on November 13. Photo: IDF — Israeli tanks and armored vehicles parked along the coast in the Gaza Strip on November 13. Photo: *IDF*

Under the deal proposed by Cyprus in November, goods would be inspected at its Larnaca port before being shipped to the Gaza Strip, 370 km away, instead of going through Egypt and Israel. If implemented, the plan would mark the first time the Israeli navy has eased its blockade of the Gaza Strip since Hamas took power there in 2007.

Israeli officials have described the corridor as a means of ending civil relations with the Gaza Strip, where the army is conducting a retaliatory military operation against Hamas after the October 7 attack.

The idea of a humanitarian corridor at sea is considered to be a response to the December 22 resolution of the United Nations Security Council, which called for the expansion of humanitarian mechanisms.

A senior Cypriot official said Britain had expressed support for the initiative and planned to provide shallow-bottomed vessels to transport goods to the Gaza Strip. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis also supported the Cypriot initiative, which would allow Israeli security personnel to join the inspection team at Larnaca port.

"The waters around Gaza are under blockade and if a ship carrying aid comes from Larnaca it will have to be allowed by us," Foreign Minister Cohen said. "Of course it will be a safe passage because we have no intention of endangering British or French ships working with us."

Several European and Arab countries deliver aid to the Gaza Strip via the Egyptian coastal city of el-Arish. Israel is involved in inspecting shipments, which some humanitarian agencies say has delayed aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip.