WHO and UNOPS staff are coordinating the dispatch of humanitarian aid to Gaza from Cyprus. WHO delivers first batch of humanitarian aid to Gaza via Cyprus Humanitarian assistance
The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Europe has delivered the first batch of emergency humanitarian aid to Gaza as part of the Humanitarian Bridge Initiative in Cyprus. Some 106 tons of food to treat the effects of malnutrition were shipped from the port of Limassol as part of the Amalthea plan.
The shipment arrived safely at the Israeli port of Ashdod, from where it will be distributed throughout Gaza to support WHO emergency operations.
A New Stage in Humanitarian Logistics
This delivery marks an important milestone in strengthening interregional logistics capacity WHO.
The Humanitarian Bridge Initiative was created as a joint mechanism between the WHO offices in Cyprus and the Occupied Palestinian Territory. Its goal is to ensure the timely, scalable and efficient delivery of life-saving medical and humanitarian supplies by sea to Gaza, within the framework of UN Security Council Resolution 2720.
The mechanism also strengthens Cyprus’s role as a strategic logistics hub: the island is located approximately 370 kilometers from Gaza and lies within the European Union’s single market, allowing the rapid mobilization and deployment of critical supplies. Cyprus under the Amalthea plan. Coordination is carried out by the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in partnership with the Joint Rescue Coordination Center of the Ministry of Defense, as well as with the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) Resolution 2720 Mechanism team. Gaza.
The operating model includes the use of warehouse and logistics infrastructure in Cyprus, including both storage under and outside customs control, as well as the ability to create the necessary temperature conditions for transportation.
Faster and more efficiently
Complementing existing humanitarian corridors and By diversifying supply routes, the initiative can significantly reduce delivery times and reduce operational constraints that previously impeded access to assistance.
In the future, the Humanitarian Bridge will provide pre-positioning of supplies, their consolidation and prompt dispatch. This will strengthen WHO’s emergency preparedness not only in Gaza, but throughout the Eastern Mediterranean.