Pharmaceutical aid from Volunteer Doctors-Cyprus is on its way to Rafah, following many obstacles and  bureaucratic issues. A statement by the organization says that the container with ten tons of medicines, was handed over to the Palestinian Red Crescent, after the mediation of the Egyptian Red Crescent. This is the only medical aid Cyprus sent so far, the statement reads.

Honorary President of the organization Volunteer Doctors – Cyprus, Eleni Theocharous, told the Cyprus News Agency that finally the effort has yielded results following a huge struggle. She said that the handling of the aid from Cyprus coincides with the anniversary of the sinking of the vessel “Dignity” which broke the embargo and carried medicine and baby food to the Gaza Strip.

The medicines were offered by Cypriot pharmaceutical company Medochemie.

Theocharous said that the cargo is set to be received by the Egyptian Red Crescent under the supervision of the Cyprus Embassy in Cairo and will be immediately transferred from Port Said to the city of Rafah.

Volunteer Doctors announced that they will continue to provide humanitarian aid with a new shipment of baby food and is undertaking a baby food collection campaign to this end. Details will be announced soon.

Theocharous posted on her social media that the vessel “Dignity” with the flag of Gibraltar, loaded with medicines and baby food, broke the embargo, departing from the port of Larnaca to Gaza on the evening of 28 December 2008.

It was chased down by four Israeli gunboats. The people on board were assisted to reach the port of Tire. Eleni Theocharous, Martha Paisi and Cyprus News Agency’s photojournalist Katia Christodoulou were on board along with two retired English Orthopedics from Exeter and Birmingham, Irish activists from the Free Gaza Movement, two war correspondents from CNN and one from Al JAZEERA and a small crew from Ierapetra, Greece. All were unarmed.