On the road at 5.5 km/h

“Open Arms” sails to Gaza at a snail’s pace

The "Open Arms" is on its way to the Gaza Strip.(Bild: AFP)

The ship "Open Arms" is to transport around 200 tons of relief supplies to the Gaza Strip in order to provide the Palestinian population there with essentials. However, the journey there is proceeding very slowly, with only a third of the route having been covered since leaving Cyprus on Tuesday. As data from the marinetraffic.com portal shows, the ship is moving forward at three knots per hour, which is only around 5.5 km/h.

It is still unclear when and where exactly the ship will unload the cargo, which is located next to the ship on a loading platform, in the Gaza Strip. A temporary jetty is being built, the aid organization World Central Kitchen reported on Tuesday, without naming the exact location. The non-governmental organization has been active in the Gaza Strip for months.

Test drive on planned aid corridor
The trip is considered a test drive along the route of a planned aid corridor announced by EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulidis last Friday in Larnaca.

The humanitarian situation of the people in the Gaza Strip has been worsening dramatically for weeks. The most basic necessities are lacking. The Gaza war was triggered by a massacre carried out by terrorists from the militant Palestinian organization Hamas and other extremist groups in southern Israel on 7 October.

High blood toll on both sides
More than 1,200 people were killed on the Israeli side. Israel responded with massive air strikes and a ground offensive in the Gaza Strip. According to the Hamas-controlled health authority, more than 31,100 people have been killed on the Palestinian side since the start of the war.