First ship carrying aid approaches Gaza Strip as Israel accused of stalling supplies

• A charity ship full of food and supplies is expected to arrive in Gaza on Friday, amid warnings that thousands in the enclave are on the brink of famine.
• The ship's circuitous route from Cyrus comes as numerous trucks of food and aid await permission to enter the Gaza Strip.
• Juliette Touma from UNRWA said the lack of access to the enclave had made the humanitarian situation there significantly worse.
• The Israel Defense Forces said on X that it "keeps expanding aid efforts for Gazan civilians on multiple fronts."

An aid ship was approaching the Gaza Strip's coastline on Friday with much-needed deliveries for the Palestinian people, as relief organizations warn that thousands in the besieged enclave are on the brink of famine.

The ship — called Open Arms and run by a Spanish charity of the same name — carries around 200 metric tons of supplies including flour, rice and water, from Larnaca port in Cyprus. Video footage from the AFP news agency showed the ship visible off the shore of the Gaza Strip on Friday morning London time.

The circuitous route comes as numerous trucks of food and aid await permission to enter the Gaza Strip via either the Kerem Shalom crossing, which borders Israel and Gaza, or the Rafah crossing, which borders Egypt and Gaza.

Israel last year agreed to work with Cyprus in setting up an aid corridor across the sea between the European Union member and the Gaza Strip. Earlier this month, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said it welcomed the finalization of the initiative, which it said "will allow the increase of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, after security checks are carried out in accordance with Israeli standards."

Juliette Touma, director of communications at the United Nations Relief and Works