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European Commission President Ursula van der Leyen speaks at a news conference at the Zenon Joint Recovery Coordination Center in Larnaca, Cyprus on March 8. (Photo: Yiannis Kourtoglou/Reuters).

European Commission President Ursula van der Leyen announced Friday that the European Union plans to open an emergency maritime aid corridor from Cyprus to Gaza this weekend in a joint effort with allies including the United States.

“We are very close to the opening of the corridor, this Saturday or this Sunday, and I am very happy to see the initial pilot operation starting today,” he told reporters in Larnaca, Cyprus. This comes after US President Joe Biden unveiled plans to build a temporary port on the Gaza Strip.

Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, the Republic of Cyprus, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom will jointly launch the corridor, according to an EU press release. The statement added that the “complex” operation would be “closely coordinated with the Government of Israel”.

Israel says: Foreign Ministry spokesman Lior Hayat welcomed the plan, saying it would “allow humanitarian aid to Gaza to increase after security checks are carried out according to Israeli standards”. Hyatt urged other countries to join the effort, adding that “Israel will continue to help transfer humanitarian aid to Gaza residents in accordance with the rules of war and in coordination with the United States and our allies around the world.”

They also ask to cross land: Israel's blockade of Gaza has dramatically reduced the flow of essential goods into Gaza, where Palestinians face severe hunger and dehydration.

Israeli officials insist there is “no limit” to the amount of aid that can enter Gaza, but humanitarian groups have repeatedly warned.

“It's easy, it's cheap,” Sigrid Kok, the United Nations' senior humanitarian and reconstruction coordinator for Gaza, told reporters on Thursday. And he added: “When everything goes through a cross or two, you can't expect a miracle.”

CNN's Richard Roth and Sahar Akbarzai contributed to this report.