US building temporary ‘Port Gaza’ to pump aid into wartorn strip from the SEA in huge project, Biden to announce
PRESIDENT Joe Biden is set to announce the US military will be constructing a port off the coast of Gaza.
Senior administration officials have said that the port will enable Gazans to receive deeply-needed humanitarian assistance.
The officials alleged that Biden will use his speech
to announce the US military will "undertake an emergency mission to establish a port in Gaza, working with like-minded countries and humanitarian partners.";
They added the operation will not require any American troops to be on the ground.
Instead, they said the port is just intended to allow more shipments of food, medicine and other essential aid.
One official said the temporary port would increase the amount of aid into the war-torn region by "hundreds of additional truckloads" on a daily basis.
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This month, the US has been finding ways around their ally in the Middle East, and has started sending aid via airdrops.
The US military carried out its first airdrop of humanitarian aid into Gaza on March 2 - with three C-130 planes delivering 35,000 meals.
Another official has said that they can't wait on the Israelis to confirm a security arrangement for the port.
The official said: “We’re not waiting on the Israelis.
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"This is a moment for American leadership, and we are building a coalition of countries to address this urgent need."
The official added that the UN and humanitarian organisations would also play a role - as they "understand the distribution of assistance within Gaza".
The first shipment of supplies is allegedly due to arrive from the Larnaca port in Cyprus - about 230 miles from the Gaza strip.
Four other European, Middle Eastern and US officials said that a lot of the port project still needs to be ironed out.
These officials revealed that even after a coordinated plan is in place, it would take anywhere from 45 to 60 days to get regular aid shipped in.
A third US official said: “The goal here is to find a way to bring synergy to every one initiative.
“We will need something like that so that we can actually build connective tissue between our planners, our development professionals, etc. to work out some of the details.”
Humanitarian aid organisations have recently revealed that delivering supplies has become near impossible within Gaza.
They blamed this on the difficulty of coordinating with the Israeli military.
A new report from the humanitarian group Refugees International claimed that Israel has been “obstructing and undermining the humanitarian response” in the Gaza strip.
The report said: “Our research makes clear that conditions inside of Gaza are apocalyptic.
“After five months of war, Palestinians are struggling to find adequate food, water, shelter, and basic medicine.
"Famine-level hunger is already widespread and worsening.”
Last week, Gaza's health authorities said that hundreds of victims were shot dead by Israeli forces as they waited for an aid delivery.
Chilling black and white aerial footage appears to show huge numbers of people running toward the convoy of trucks, ostensibly clambering over each other to get to what was inside.
Officials estimate at least 104 people were killed and more than 280 wounded in the tragedy near Gaza City.
At the time, the White House said that they were looking into reports of Israeli fire and described what unfolded as a "serious incident".
A White House National Security Council spokesman said: "We mourn the loss of innocent life and recognise the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, where innocent Palestinians are just trying to feed their families.
"This underscores the importance of expanding and sustaining the flow of humanitarian assistance into Gaza, including through a potential temporary ceasefire."
It is now thought that more than 30,000 people have been killed in Gaza amid famine fears.
Israel launched its operations in Gaza following an attack by the terror group on southern Israel on October 7, when militants killed 1,200 people and took about 250 others hostage.
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A 40 day-long pause in fighting has been mooted amid growing fears that only a few dozen hostages may be left to save.
At least 30 of the remaining 130 hostages have been confirmed dead but Hamas said yesterday that it was unable to produce a list of surviving captives.
