Speaking at Limassol port on 7 November 2025, UAE Minister of State Lana Nusseibeh confirmed plans to scale up aid deliveries to Gaza via the ‘Amalthea’ maritime corridor operated jointly with the Republic of Cyprus. The announcement comes one month after a U.S.-brokered cease-fire paused the two-year Israel-Hamas war and reopened channels for humanitarian cargo. Nusseibeh described the Cyprus route as a “vital lifeline” that complements overland convoys through Rafah and air-drops coordinated by the United Nations.
Under the scheme, relief goods are pre-screened in Limassol, loaded onto UAE-chartered vessels, and either off-loaded at Israel’s Ashdod port for overland transfer or—when sea conditions allow—transhipped directly to a temporary U.S. pier off Gaza. According to Cypriot officials, some 22,000 tonnes of food, tents and medical supplies have moved through Amalthea since its launch in March 2024. The UAE now intends to double monthly volumes, requiring additional warehouse space and round-the-clock customs staffing at Limassol.
![UAE to Increase Gaza Aid Through Cyprus Sea Corridor, Bolstering Island’s Role as Regional Humanitarian Hub]()
For Cyprus, the build-out reinforces its emerging status as the Eastern Mediterranean’s logistics and evacuation hub. During the 2023 Sudan crisis, the island processed more than 2,000 evacuees in one week; it is currently on standby to host mass departures should the Gaza cease-fire collapse. The humanitarian traffic also generates business for stevedoring firms, cold-chain providers and charter airlines positioning crews in Larnaca. Mobility managers overseeing regional assignments should note heightened demand for short-term accommodation around Limassol port and possible congestion on the A1 motorway during convoy movements.
Cyprus’s Deputy Minister for Shipping, Marina Hadjimanolis, said the government is expediting temporary work permits for 200 additional dockworkers and customs agents to handle the surge. She also hinted that a bilateral agreement with the UAE could grant Cypriot firms preferred status in reconstruction contracts once Gaza stabilises—opening mid-term deployment opportunities for engineers and project managers.
The expanded corridor underscores how geopolitical crises can reshape mobility corridors overnight. Companies with humanitarian, defence-logistics or infrastructure mandates in the region should maintain agile travel policies, including multi-entry visas for Cyprus and contingency routings through Larnaca or Paphos in case neighbouring airports restrict civilian traffic.
Under the scheme, relief goods are pre-screened in Limassol, loaded onto UAE-chartered vessels, and either off-loaded at Israel’s Ashdod port for overland transfer or—when sea conditions allow—transhipped directly to a temporary U.S. pier off Gaza. According to Cypriot officials, some 22,000 tonnes of food, tents and medical supplies have moved through Amalthea since its launch in March 2024. The UAE now intends to double monthly volumes, requiring additional warehouse space and round-the-clock customs staffing at Limassol.
For Cyprus, the build-out reinforces its emerging status as the Eastern Mediterranean’s logistics and evacuation hub. During the 2023 Sudan crisis, the island processed more than 2,000 evacuees in one week; it is currently on standby to host mass departures should the Gaza cease-fire collapse. The humanitarian traffic also generates business for stevedoring firms, cold-chain providers and charter airlines positioning crews in Larnaca. Mobility managers overseeing regional assignments should note heightened demand for short-term accommodation around Limassol port and possible congestion on the A1 motorway during convoy movements.
Cyprus’s Deputy Minister for Shipping, Marina Hadjimanolis, said the government is expediting temporary work permits for 200 additional dockworkers and customs agents to handle the surge. She also hinted that a bilateral agreement with the UAE could grant Cypriot firms preferred status in reconstruction contracts once Gaza stabilises—opening mid-term deployment opportunities for engineers and project managers.
The expanded corridor underscores how geopolitical crises can reshape mobility corridors overnight. Companies with humanitarian, defence-logistics or infrastructure mandates in the region should maintain agile travel policies, including multi-entry visas for Cyprus and contingency routings through Larnaca or Paphos in case neighbouring airports restrict civilian traffic.
