Greece has offered to provide much-needed humanitarian aid to war-ravaged Gaza, the Greek Defense Minister announced, stepping in after the United States failed to establish a floating maritime aid corridor on the Gaza coast.
Nikos Dendias, the Greek Defense Minister, said that four Greek navy ships have been placed on alert to deliver life-saving aid to Gaza and Lebanon, including water, food, and medication, if requested.
“We have limited resources but we are present,” Dendias stated while emphasizing Greece’s readiness to assist the two shattered regions of the Middle East. “This is our region,” the Greek Defense Minister said. “We have offered to contribute to humanitarian efforts, both in Gaza and in Lebanon. We want to create a stable future with the goal of prosperity.”
The need and delivery for humanitarian assistance is critical in the wake of ceasefire between Israel and Hamas as hundreds of thousands of displaced Gazas are returning to their homes. The northern part of the tiny strip, where most of Gazans are returning to, lay in ruins, its buildings are reduced to rubble while most of its infrastructure is also destroyed.
The Gaza floating pier was created by the U.S. military in the spring of 2024, aiming to be used as a route for the delivery of maritime cargo as humanitarian assistance to Gaza via the sea. It cost an estimated $320 million and remained operational for only 20 days. The pier had been beset by severe weather challenges and was dismantled two months after it was built.
Greece had called for Gaza ceasefire during UN Security Council’s Session
As a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council since January 1st, Greece had called for a Gaza ceasefire during an emergency session held on January 3, 2025.
The Permanent Representative of Greece to the United Nations, Ambassador Evangelos Sekeris, expressed Greece’s deep concern that “after more than a year of ongoing conflict in Gaza, an end to the human suffering remains elusive.”
During the session, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk presented a heart-wrenching report on the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza. The report detailed continuous Israeli attacks on healthcare facilities and alarming mortality rates among newborns.
“While we recognize Israel’s right to self-defense and the shock that the Israeli society has been through following the death of 1,200 citizens and the captivity of 100 hostages for 14 months, we have to remind ourselves that when all else fails, the international law and the international humanitarian law is the compass to our humanity,” Sekeris said.
He added that “The destruction of the healthcare system, in combination with the killing of patients, humanitarian workers, medical staff and other civilians, constitute severe violations of international humanitarian and human rights law.”
Sekeris also urged the immediate opening of crossings for the unhindered distribution of aid into Gaza and the assurance that shelters for the displaced remain safe havens rather than “death traps.”
The devastating impact of 15 months of war in Gaza
The war began after Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023 that left over 1,200 Israelis dead while 253 were taken hostage, according to Israeli authorities.
More than 46,000 people have been killed in Gaza, and nearly 110,000 have been injured, according to Gaza’s Hamas-overseen Health Ministry. Over 14,000 children and 8,000 women are among the dead.
The war has displaced 1.9 million Palestinians (90 percent of Gaza’s population) and has destroyed 95 percent of its schools. Nine in 10 homes have been either damaged or destroyed, according to the latest UN data. The war has also damaged or destroyed mosques, archaeological sites and hospitals. Hundreds of thousands are living in tent cities and severely overcrowded shelters with poor sanitation and access to little clean water.
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