Israel has asked Cyprus to consider creating a shipping point for sending goods to the Gaza Strip, a Cypriot government spokesman said on Tuesday June 26th.
Goods currently shipped by sea to the Gaza Strip usually come to an Israeli port and are then transferred to Gaza over land. Israel enforces a maritime blockade on Gaza, which it says is in place to prevent weapons from reaching the territory. Both Egypt and Israel restrict movement across Gaza’s land borders. The UN has called for a freer flow of goods into Gaza.
The idea of setting up a facility in Cyprus is not new, and has never progressed before, but Israel recently made a request to explore the issue, said Cypriot government spokesman Prodromos Prodromou.
“It is an old issue which is now being re-discussed,” Prodromou said.