A second ship with food aid to Gaza is being loaded in Cyprus, a charity arranging the mission says, as the first ship in a pilot trial of maritime deliveries nears the Strip.

World Central Kitchen (WCK) says it is loading a vessel at Larnaca port with 300 tons of food aid – including legumes, canned tuna, vegetables, rice and flour.

“Our pallets should be screened and loaded by the end of the day Cyprus time,” WCK says in a statement, without specifying when the vessel would set sail.

Cyprus is screening aid cargos on the island in a process including Israel to eliminate security checks at offloading destinations, officials say.

A ship towing a barge carrying almost 200 tons of food aid for Gaza left Cyprus on Tuesday, charting a new route to deliver emergency supplies to a population humanitarian agencies say is at risk of starvation after more than five months of war.

(Source: REUTERS)