A SHIPMENT of humanitarian aid left a port in Cyprus this morning and was on its way to the US-built pier in Gaza, the first delivery to the newly built ramp, Cyprus’s foreign minister reported.

The relief is desperately needed, with the United Nations saying people in Gaza are on the brink of famine and as Israeli troops have ordered the evacuation of 100,000 Palestinians from Gaza’s southern city of Rafah.

Israel also sent tanks to seize Gaza’s nearby Rafah crossing with Egypt earlier this week, shutting down a vital border entry point needed to get assistance into the battered enclave.