Cyprus has the "facilities and teams on the ground" to deliver Gaza aid – but the government wants guarantees of safety for the ships taking it as well as logistical plans on the ground.

Due to its location, Cyprus can be a hub for aid collection, storage and delivery but while the authorities are ready to help, there remain stumbling blocks.

More humanitarian relief has been entering the besieged territory from Israeli strikes during the four-day truce but there remains huge shortages according to aid agencies. 

Cypriot authorities plan to send ships with aid from the port of Larnaca and use it as base, being only 400 kilometers from Gaza. 

Earlier this month Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides outlined a proposal to open a maritime corridor to help deliver more aid to Gaza. This could drastically help Palestinians in need, as one shipment is close to 500 trucks of aid.

But while the government is confident that everything is in place including a coordination center and ships ready to leave, there is concern about what will happen when they arrive in Gaza.

A proposed temporary floating port off the coast of Gaza has been discussed but it can’t be implemented until Israel has given the green light.

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Government spokesman Giannis Antoniou said: "We have the facilities, the teams on the ground, and specialists ready to and everything is in place, but we cannot deliver the aid unless both sides ensure us that the ships arriving with help will be safe getting there and leaving from the site."

He also said that the strategic question of who will pick up the aid once it arrives in Gaza needs to be answered.

He continued: "We discussed having teams from the UN and other countries here on the ground to inspect what is going into the ships to make sure that nothing that could increase the risk of more conflict. 

"We have already agreed on how we will do it and all parties are on board, including the European Union. So from our side, everything is ready to go. The issue here is who will deliver it once on the ground? Some organisations have stepped up, but we need more insurance before starting."

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