Cyprus Plans to Send Humanitarian Aid Directly to Gaza by Ship, to Be Received by UN

UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix, center, talks to the media as the UN Secretary General's Special Representative in Cyprus Colin Stewart listens to him, after their meeting with Cyprus' President Nikos Christodoulides at presidential palace in divided capital Nicosia, Cyprus, on Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2023. Lacroix is in Cyprus for three-day visit. (AP)
UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix, center, talks to the media as the UN Secretary General's Special Representative in Cyprus Colin Stewart listens to him, after their meeting with Cyprus' President Nikos Christodoulides at presidential palace in divided capital Nicosia, Cyprus, on Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2023. Lacroix is in Cyprus for three-day visit. (AP)
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Cyprus Plans to Send Humanitarian Aid Directly to Gaza by Ship, to Be Received by UN

UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix, center, talks to the media as the UN Secretary General's Special Representative in Cyprus Colin Stewart listens to him, after their meeting with Cyprus' President Nikos Christodoulides at presidential palace in divided capital Nicosia, Cyprus, on Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2023. Lacroix is in Cyprus for three-day visit. (AP)
UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix, center, talks to the media as the UN Secretary General's Special Representative in Cyprus Colin Stewart listens to him, after their meeting with Cyprus' President Nikos Christodoulides at presidential palace in divided capital Nicosia, Cyprus, on Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2023. Lacroix is in Cyprus for three-day visit. (AP)

Cyprus offered more detail Wednesday on its initiative to create a sea corridor for the steady flow of humanitarian assistance from Cyprus to Gaza, saying that aid-laden ships would sail directly to the enclave, where United Nations personnel would receive it for eventual distribution.

Cyprus government spokesman Constantinos Letymbiotis said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “saw the initiative in a positive light” during a long telephone conversation Tuesday evening with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides.

Cyprus is still sketching out with fellow European Union member countries and Arab states the logistical details of its plan to ferry aid from its main port of Limassol to Gaza once conditions on the ground permit it.

Ships would be vetted at the point of departure at the Limassol port to ensure that nothing would be transported that could be weaponized by Hamas to use against Israel.

Gaza’s humanitarian needs have escalated since the Israel-Hamas war erupted following the Palestinian militant group’s surprise Oct. 7 attacks in Israel that left nearly 1,400 Israelis dead and at least 240 people taken hostage. Israel retaliated with a military operation that has so far left over 8,000 Palestinians dead.

United Nations Under-Secretary-General for peace operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix said that UN officials “are actively working so that more humanitarian assistance can be delivered to the population of Gaza.”

Lacroix said it’s up to the parties to decide the best way to ensure that the aid reaches those who need it most.

“But I can assure you that the determination to work actively in that direction is there from the UN,” Lacroix told reporters after talks with Christodoulides in the Cypriot capital of Nicosia.

The UN official said the Cypriot initiative is “highly appreciated” by the world body.



Trump Says Iran Must Give Up Dream of Nuclear Weapon or Face Harsh Response

US President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, April 14, 2025. (AFP)
US President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, April 14, 2025. (AFP)
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Trump Says Iran Must Give Up Dream of Nuclear Weapon or Face Harsh Response

US President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, April 14, 2025. (AFP)
US President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, April 14, 2025. (AFP)

President Donald Trump said on Monday he believes Iran is intentionally delaying a nuclear deal with the United States and that it must abandon any drive for a nuclear weapon or face a possible military strike on Tehran's atomic facilities.

"I think they're tapping us along," Trump told reporters after US special envoy Steve Witkoff met in Oman on Saturday with a senior Iranian official.

Both Iran and the United States said on Saturday that they held "positive" and "constructive" talks in Oman. A second round is scheduled for Saturday, and a source briefed on the planning said the meeting was likely to be held in Rome.

The source, speaking to Reuters on the condition of anonymity, said the discussions are aimed at exploring what is possible, including a broad framework of what a potential deal would look like.

"Iran has to get rid of the concept of a nuclear weapon. They cannot have a nuclear weapon," Trump said.

Asked if US options for a response include a military strike on Tehran's nuclear facilities, Trump said: "Of course it does."

Trump said the Iranians need to move fast to avoid a harsh response because "they're fairly close" to developing a nuclear weapon.

The US and Iran held indirect talks during former President Joe Biden's term, but they made little, if any progress. The last known direct negotiations between the two governments were under then-President Barack Obama, who spearheaded the 2015 international nuclear deal that Trump later abandoned.