WHO/Europe, through its Humanitarian Bridge Initiative in Cyprus, has facilitated the delivery of its first shipment of emergency humanitarian nutrition supplies to Gaza. The initiative was implemented in close coordination between WHO offices in Cyprus and the occupied Palestinian territories, with strong support from the Government of Cyprus, particularly the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Defense. Approximately 106 metric tons of life-saving nutrition supplies were mobilized from the Port of Limassol under the Amalthea Plan.
The consignment has safely arrived at Ashdod Port, Israel, and is currently being prepared for onward distribution to Gaza in support of WHO’s emergency response operations.
This shipment marks a significant operational milestone in strengthening WHO’s interregional humanitarian logistics capacity for a region affected by the ongoing conflict, particularly in Gaza.
Established as a coordinated effort between WHO offices in Cyprus and the occupied Palestinian territories, the Humanitarian Bridge Initiative is designed to enable the timely, scalable and efficient delivery of essential health commodities by sea to the crisis-affected populations in Gaza, under the framework of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2720.
The mechanism further reinforces Cyprus’s role as a strategic humanitarian logistics staging point, leveraging its geographic proximity, approximately 370 kilometers from Gaza, and its position within the European Union single market to facilitate the rapid mobilization and dispatch of critical supplies.
The initiative operates under the leadership of the Government of Cyprus within the framework of the Amalthea Plan, with coordination led by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in partnership with the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre of the Ministry of Defense and the UN 2720 mechanism team implemented by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) in Cyprus. Together, these partners provide a neutral, transparent and internationally coordinated maritime corridor for the delivery of humanitarian assistance to Gaza.
The operational model of the Humanitarian Bridge Initiative utilizes third-party dual-zone logistics and warehousing facilities in Cyprus, offering both bonded and non-bonded solutions, including cold-chain storage capacities where required.
By complementing existing humanitarian corridors for Gaza and diversifying supply routes, the initiative has the potential to significantly reduce delivery timelines and mitigate operational bottlenecks that have constrained humanitarian access in the past.
Looking ahead, the Humanitarian Bridge Initiative will continue to support strategic prepositioning, consolidation and the rapid dispatch of essential health supplies, strengthening WHO’s operational readiness not only for Gaza but also for health emergencies and disasters across the Eastern Mediterranean Region.
This achievement reaffirms WHO’s commitment to ensuring equitable, timely and life-saving humanitarian assistance, in line with the principle of “leaving no one behind”, a central pillar of WHO’s Second European Programme of Work (2026–2030).