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.



Lebanon: Mikati Says Diplomatic Efforts 'Intensify' to Secure Ceasefire

Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati speaks during a press conference in the presence of Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Lebanese Druze leader Walid Jumblatt (not pictured), in Beirut, Lebanon October 2, 2024. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati speaks during a press conference in the presence of Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Lebanese Druze leader Walid Jumblatt (not pictured), in Beirut, Lebanon October 2, 2024. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
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Lebanon: Mikati Says Diplomatic Efforts 'Intensify' to Secure Ceasefire

Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati speaks during a press conference in the presence of Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Lebanese Druze leader Walid Jumblatt (not pictured), in Beirut, Lebanon October 2, 2024. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati speaks during a press conference in the presence of Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Lebanese Druze leader Walid Jumblatt (not pictured), in Beirut, Lebanon October 2, 2024. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir

Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Thursday said that diplomatic efforts are ongoing to pressure Israel into halting its offensive on Lebanon.
He said that contacts have “intensified” in the past hours ahead of a session of the United Nations Security Council, aiming once again to achieve a ceasefire and increase pressure to stop the "Israeli aggression" on Lebanon.
He noted that “discussions are ongoing between the United States and France, which has requested the convening of the Security Council, with the goal of reviving a declaration for a temporary ceasefire to facilitate the resumption of talks on political solutions."
Hezbollah began firing rockets into northern Israel on Oct. 8, 2023, the day after Hamas’ surprise attack into Israel ignited the war in Gaza. Hezbollah and Hamas are both allied with Iran, and Hezbollah says its attacks are aimed at aiding the Palestinians. Israel has carried out airstrikes in response and the conflict steadily escalated, erupting into a full-fledged war last month.
Israel has inflicted a punishing wave of blows against Hezbollah in recent weeks and says it will keep fighting until tens of thousands of displaced Israeli citizens can return to their homes in the north.
More than 1,300 people have been killed in Lebanon and over a million displaced since the fighting escalated in mid-September.