Greek humanitarian aid destined for the Gaza Strip arrived on Thursday at Egypt's El Arish airport, by initiative of Greece's Foreign Affairs Ministry.
The Greek humanitarian aid, provided by the NGOs 'Doctors of the World' and 'International Humanitarian Aid Foundation', includes a fully equipped reception and basic patient care unit as well as personal hygiene and first aid items.
It was transported by civilian cargo aircraft via Ostend, as part of the EU HAB (Humanitarian Air Bridge).
This humanitarian aid is a continuation of the first Greek shipment of pharmaceuticals and medical supplies for the civilian population of Gaza, which was transported on November 6 by a C-130 aircraft of the Greek Air Force.
Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis said last week Greece is willing to send aid to Gaza through military means, as it did in November when it sent a C-130 with pharmaceutical and medical supplies to the territory through Egypt.
In an interview with Bloomberg, Gerapetritis said that negotiations to create a maritime corridor to transport essential goods to Gaza are making progress toward an agreement.
“We expect developments on this issue in the following days,” he added.
He said that Greece, which is in talks with France and Cyprus among others, will “provide humanitarian aid primarily with its commercial fleet.”
But he noted that “the sea corridor is an extremely difficult exercise because at the moment there is no safe port in the Gaza Strip for ships to dock.”
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