A ship carrying food aid for Gaza has departed from a port in Cyprus in the Mediterranean.

Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides said on social media on Tuesday that "The first ship in the context of the Cyprus Maritime Corridor Initiative for humanitarian aid to Gaza has sailed. It is a lifeline to civilians."

Last week, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced a plan to work with the United Arab Emirates and others to deliver food and relief supplies to Gaza by ship.

A Cyprus foreign ministry spokesperson said the vessel will take around 60 hours to arrive in Gaza with about 150 tons of supplies including food and medicine.

The shortage of food has become a serious problem in Gaza amid Israel's continued military operations. Deaths from malnutrition and dehydration have been reported in the north of the enclave.

US forces have carried out a number of airdrops of supplies, but they did little to improve the situation.