France, Jan. 19 -- A container ship carrying 383 tonnes of food aid left from France's port of Le Havre on Sunday bound for Gaza, the French Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The cargo is made up of Plumpy'doz, a nutritional supplement paste made of peanuts and milk powder intended treat malnutrition in young children, produced by Nutriset, a company based in Normandy.

The aid is intended to "improve the health of more than 42,000 Gazan children aged between six months and two years, who are suffering from malnutrition," the ministry said.

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The ship is expected to arrive at Egypt's Port Said in about ten days, and then it will be transported to Gaza by the...