Watch: First boat carrying aid for Gaza leaves Cyprus port

Watch as the first boat from Cyprus carrying aid for Gaza left a port in Larnaca on Tuesday, 12 March.

Spanish charity Open Arms said its vessel would tow a barge with 200 tonnes of food, which its partner the US charity World Central Kitchen would later unload on Gaza's shores.

It comes as officials continue to warn that Israel’s offensive into the territory is pushing Palestinians into famine.

According to the health ministry in Gaza, at least 20 people have died from malnutrition and dehydration at Kamal Adwan and Shifa hospital.

Most of those who have died are children, as well as a 72-year-old man, officials in Gaza added.

However hunger is also affecting people in the south; a senior doctor at the Emirati Hospital in Rafah told the Associated Press that 16 premature babies have died of malnutrition-related causes over the past five weeks.

Israel has largely shut off entry of food, water, medicine, and other essentials after launching its offensive on Gaza following Hamas’ 7 October attack in which at least 1,200 people were killed and around 250 taken hostage.