Cyprus to Gaza Corridor Will Continue to Operate, Cyprus President Says

 Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides briefs media on the Gaza aid corridor, during a visit of the EU Parliament President (not pictured) at the Joint Rescue Coordination Center (JRCC) near Larnaca's international airport on April 2, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas group. (AFP)
Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides briefs media on the Gaza aid corridor, during a visit of the EU Parliament President (not pictured) at the Joint Rescue Coordination Center (JRCC) near Larnaca's international airport on April 2, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas group. (AFP)
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Cyprus to Gaza Corridor Will Continue to Operate, Cyprus President Says

 Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides briefs media on the Gaza aid corridor, during a visit of the EU Parliament President (not pictured) at the Joint Rescue Coordination Center (JRCC) near Larnaca's international airport on April 2, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas group. (AFP)
Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides briefs media on the Gaza aid corridor, during a visit of the EU Parliament President (not pictured) at the Joint Rescue Coordination Center (JRCC) near Larnaca's international airport on April 2, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas group. (AFP)

Cyprus's president on Tuesday urged an immediate investigation into the killing of seven aid workers in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza, saying the US-based charity they were members of was a "crucial partner" in efforts to get aid to the enclave by sea.

"We need to double down on efforts to get aid to Gaza," Nikos Christodoulides said, after a meeting with European Parliament President Roberta Metsola.

The Israeli strike hit a convoy carrying a World Central Kitchen team which had just unloaded more than 100 tons of food aid brought to Gaza via the maritime route from Cyprus. Citizens from Australia, Poland and Britain were among the victims.

The charity said it was pausing operations in the region with immediate effect. WCK has been active in Gaza since October, bringing food by land routes and also participating in air drops.

Earlier this month, it launched an inaugural sea corridor transporting aid to the enclave from Cyprus.

A second convoy of ships taking just over 300 tons of aid left Cyprus last weekend and got to Gaza around midday on Monday, Cypriot Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos said.

Kombos said Cypriot authorities had been in touch with the WCK.

The strike occurred 12 km (7.46 miles) from the landing area for aid - a makeshift jetty created by the charity. The aid workers had just ended a shift halfway through the offloading process, which was supposed to resume early Tuesday, the Cypriot minister said.

"This is something that has now been frozen and since WCK has made the announcement - they will be leaving the area in order to come back, regroup and see and assess what the next steps are," Kombos said.



US Defers Removal of Some Lebanese, Citing Israel-Hezbollah Tensions

Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
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US Defers Removal of Some Lebanese, Citing Israel-Hezbollah Tensions

Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)

The United States is deferring the removal of certain Lebanese citizens from the country, President Joe Biden said on Friday, citing humanitarian conditions in southern Lebanon amid tensions between Israel and Hezbollah.

The deferred designation, which lasts 18 months, allows Lebanese citizens to remain in the country with the right to work, according to a memorandum Biden sent to the Department of Homeland Security.

"Humanitarian conditions in southern Lebanon have significantly deteriorated due to tensions between Hezbollah and Israel," Biden said in the memo.

"While I remain focused on de-escalating the situation and improving humanitarian conditions, many civilians remain in danger; therefore, I am directing the deferral of removal of certain Lebanese nationals who are present in the United States."

Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah have been trading fire since Hezbollah announced a "support front" with Palestinians shortly after its ally Hamas attacked southern Israeli border communities on Oct. 7, triggering Israel's military assault in Gaza.

The fighting in Lebanon has killed more than 100 civilians and more than 300 Hezbollah fighters, according to a Reuters tally, and led to levels of destruction in Lebanese border towns and villages not seen since the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war.

On the Israeli side, 10 Israeli civilians, a foreign agricultural worker and 20 Israeli soldiers have been killed. Tens of thousands have been evacuated from both sides of the border.