British soldiers may be deployed in the Gaza Strip to distribute humanitarian aid arriving by sea. Meanwhile, the USA has made it known that American forces will not participate and that the distribution of the aid landed will be entrusted to an unspecified “third party”. British Defense sources stressed that no decisions have yet been made on the point and that the issue has not yet been brought to the Prime Minister’s attention. At the same time, the Ministry of Defense and the Israeli armed forces did not want to comment on the BBC’s preview of Britain’s possible move.
Meanwhile, aid shipments to Gaza from Cyprus have resumed after a pause due to the killing of humanitarian workers. A ship loaded with food has indeed left for the besieged Palestinian enclave, all after a pause following the killing of seven aid workers by Israel. The NGO World Central Kitchen suspended aid to review its activities in the territory after the attack in early April, blocking shipments to Gaza from Cyprus. A small cargo ship left the port of Larnaca last night, with aid donated by the United Arab Emirates. The United States has begun construction of a floating dock on Gaza’s Mediterranean coast that will allow the delivery of pre-selected aid to Cyprus under Israeli supervision. Once the aid reaches Gaza, it will still have to pass through Israeli checkpoints on the ground.
