RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) An aid ship loaded with some 200 tons of food set sail for Gaza on Tuesday in a pilot program for the opening of a sea corridor to the territory, where the 5-month Israel-Hamas war has driven hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to the brink of starvation .

The push to get food in by sea along with a recent campaign of airdrops into isolated northern Gaza highlighted the international communitys frustration with the growing humanitarian crisis and its inability to get aid in by road.

The food on the aid ship was collected by World Central Kitchen, the charity founded by celebrity chef Jos Andrs, and is being transported by the Spanish aid group Open Arms. The ship departed from the eastern Mediterranean island nation of Cyprus and is expected to arrive in Gaza in two to three days.

The United States separately plans to construct a sea bridge near Gaza in order to deliver aid, but it will likely be several weeks before it is operational. President Joe Biden s administration has provided crucial military aid for Israel while urging it to facilitate more humanitarian access.

WAR RAGES WITH NO END IN SIGHT