The Open Arms, owned by a charity of the same name, left Larnaca port early on Tuesday, towing a barge containing about 200 tonnes of flour, rice, and protein.
The voyage is a test of a planned sea corridor to carry aid to a population on the brink of starvation, Al Jazeera reported.
The 210 nautical miles (390km) voyage across the eastern Mediterranean to Gaza with a heavy tow barge could take up to two days, Cypriot officials have said.
Open Arms’ journey will test a planned sea corridor for getting aid into Gaza that was announced by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides last Friday in Larnaca.
Another 500 tonnes of aid amassed in Cyprus is ready to be dispatched, said WCK founder Jose Andres and chief executive officer Erin Gore in a statement.
Although 160 days have passed since the war in Gaza, the Zionist regime does not allow any help to the people of the Gaza Strip with a complete sea, air, and land blockade.
SD/PR
