LONDON: Qatar and the UAE participated in a virtual ministerial meeting on Thursday on advancing a maritime corridor to deliver humanitarian assistance to Gaza.

The meeting, which was hosted by Cyprus’ Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos, included Qatar’s Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Mohammed bin Abdulaziz bin Saleh Al-Khulaifi, and the UAE’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan.

The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron, EU Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic, and UN Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza Sigrid Kaag also took part.

Discussions focused on addressing logistical hurdles in transporting humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, which is currently facing severe restrictions due to Israel’s blockade.

Israel’s action has isolated an estimated 300,000 Palestinians in northern Gaza, where the World Food Programme has reported catastrophic levels of hunger.

A joint statement issued by the governments involved underscored a consensus that there was no substitute for land routes through Egypt, Jordan, and other crossings into Gaza for broad aid delivery. It also welcomed the opening of Ashdod Port to humanitarian aid as an important addition to the maritime corridor.

Plans were set for senior officials to convene in Cyprus in the following week for comprehensive briefings on the maritime corridor’s operations. These will include discussions on the potential establishment of a joint fund to boost operations, and the coordination of both material and financial contributions for its maintenance.

The ministers said that the maritime corridor should be part of ongoing efforts to increase the flow of aid and commercial goods to Gaza via all available means, including expanded land routes and continuous airlift operations, in collaboration with Kaag, who is tasked with facilitating, monitoring, and verifying the flow of aid to the Gaza Strip under UN Security Council Resolution 2,720.

Agnes Callamard, secretary-general at Amnesty International, said on Wednesday that efforts to deliver aid to the Gaza Strip by constructing a seaport or through airdrops were a sign of international weakness.

She said: “A huge concern is that the proposed investment into building a port and transporting humanitarian assistance via sea appears to indicate that the international community ... are expecting the situation to last. Why are you making an investment that is going to take two months?”