European Union officials say the first sea shipment of humanitarian relief supplies to Gaza – food aid from the World Central Kitchen aid agency – could leave the Mediterranean country of Cyprus as early as Friday. Stated.
Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Union's executive agency, described the shipment as a “pilot project” for a maritime aid corridor to Gaza, but it remains to be seen how the shipment will be carried out and how it will be transported within the territory. He gave few details about where it would be shipped.
Since October, organizers and Palestinian cooks working with World Central Kitchen, an aid organization founded by renowned Spanish chef José Andrés, have served more than 32 million meals in Gaza. announced the group.
The U.S. military's plan to build a floating pier to bring more aid to Gaza, as well as the announcement Friday by Britain, the European Union and other countries to establish a maritime corridor for aid to the region. This may accelerate these efforts.
In an interview Thursday after the U.S. announced plans to build a floating pier, Andres said the plan would add to the food security needed to more than double the meals the group serves each day. It said it would provide critical access and further support the people of northern Gaza.
“We are trying the impossible,” he said. “It's worth trying the impossible to feed the people of Gaza.”
The organization has established 65 community kitchens managed by local Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and plans to add at least 35 more, Andres said. About 350,000 meals are served each day, but Andres said he hopes to distribute more than 1 million meals.
Getting food and aid into Gaza is proving difficult, he said. World Central Kitchen decided to provide some assistance through airdrops with the Jordanian Air Force.
Andres founded the organization shortly after the 2010 Haiti earthquake, which killed about 300,000 people. Since then, he has responded to numerous natural disasters and wars in the United States and abroad. In 2017, the organization provided millions of meals to Puerto Ricans affected by Hurricane Maria, Ukrainians affected by the war with Russia, and more recently to people fighting fires in Chile, Texas, and other places. provided.
“We have to shoot for the moon, because no matter where we fall, it will be worth the effort,” he said.
The association is the largest emergency meal program in history founded by a group of chefs and has served more than 350 million meals since its founding. The impact is immediate, as he and his staff can quickly network, organize a kitchen in harsh conditions, and source ingredients and equipment.
Like the kitchens in Gaza, the kitchens are often managed and prepared by local residents. Many of these recipes were compiled into the World Central Kitchen cookbook, published in September.