NICOSIA – With Cyprus being the jumping-off point to bring humanitarian aid to Palestinians caught in Israel’s invasion of the Gaza Strip in the hunt for Hamas terrorists, Israel’s Transport Ministry is sending a delegation to the island to look at buying a port complex.

That would be used to support Israel’s national security and  provide a controlled location for staging relief and future reconstruction supplies for Gaza, said Maritime Executive, with Israel earlier saying it could occupy the strip indefinitely.

https://maritime-executive.com/article/report-israel-may-buy-terminal-in-cyprus-to-support-aid-corridor

The United States, which is air-dropping food and supplies into Gaza, said it would build a port along Gaza’s seaside but that it could take two months, and reports Israeli soldiers were firing on Palestinians trying to reach aid that did get into the strip.

Gaza faces a humanitarian crisis over truck deliveries shut down over its borders, controlled by Israel, with international calls for a ceasefire so far being ignored after Israeli attacks and air strikes killed almost 32,000 people.

Israel’s Transport Ministry dispatched Israel Ports Company Uzi Yitzhaki to buy a terminal in Cyprus to facilitate the inspection and approval of cargoes for the aid corridor, according to YNet. The estimated cost for the terminal is about $140 million.

The Cyprus site would be a backup in the event of renewed hostilities with Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militia that controls much of Lebanon, no report whether Cyprus’ government would allow it or be worried about retaliation.

If tensions with Hezbollah began to threaten the security of the seaport at Haifa – the primary container-freight gateway for Israel – a port in Cyprus could provide a temporary transshipment point to reroute cargo to Eilat or Ashdod, according to YNet.