The head of the European Commission said he hoped a sea route would be activated this weekend, making it possible to take humanitarian aid from Cyprus to the Gaza Strip in need.

On a visit to the Cyprus port of Larnaca, Ursula van der Leyen noted that a boat carrying test aid collected by a charity backed by the United Arab Emirates could leave as early as Friday.

“We are launching this sea route in Cyprus with the European Union, the United Arab Emirates and the United States,” he said.

“The EU has allocated 250 million euros for humanitarian aid this year alone, but the main challenge is getting this aid to Gaza,” he added.

“We continue to ask Israel to allow additional trucks”

“We are going to open this corridor, we hope it will be on Saturday or Sunday, and I am very happy to see a pilot project being launched today,” said Ursula van der Leyen with Cypriot President Nicos Christodoulits.

British diplomatic chief David Cameron also said that he is actively working to open this humanitarian corridor as soon as possible in coordination with the United States and the European Union.

“We continue to call on Israel to allow more trucks into Gaza because this is a faster way to get aid to those in need,” he added on social media.

Cyprus believes that three main factors argue in favor of the project: the island nation's geographical proximity, the infrastructure needed to access the goods, and strategic ties with neighboring countries.