EU Commission chief hopes Cyprus-Gaza aid route will open Sunday

European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen expressed hope Friday that a humanitarian aid corridor from Cyprus to Gaza will open this weekend, amid fears of famine in the war-torn Palestinian territory.

“We are very close to opening this corridor, hopefully this Sunday,” von der Leyen said following a visit to the Cypriot port of Larnaca with Cyprus’s President Nikos Christodoulides.

Her announcement came after US President Joe Biden, in his State of the Union address on Thursday, said the US military would establish a “temporary pier” off Gaza’s coast to bring in aid.