Under a real peace deal, Gaza could be an intercontinental crossroads

For two weeks rfa Lyme Bay sailed around the Mediterranean, waiting to land. Its shallow bottom made it perfect for dumping emergency supplies onto the sands. On board were almost 90 tonnes of shelters, blankets and medicine, approved by Israel for entry into Gaza. Israel’s then foreign minister, Eli Cohen, said it could land “immediately”. But after leaving the Cypriot port of Larnaca in mid-December, it sailed west instead to Malta and finally offloaded its cargo in Egypt at the start of January. “Israel could not guarantee its safety,” says a diplomat involved in the mission.