United States: A US Navy vessel has been sent with supplies to construct a makeshift dock off the coast of Gaza. The US suggested building the pier as a way to provide supplies to Gaza while Israel continues to bomb the Gaza Strip, killing hundreds of people in the process.
The military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Sunday that the ship, General Frank S. Besson, departed a Virginia base “less than 36 hours after President Biden announced the US would provide humanitarian assistance to Gaza by sea.”
According to the statement, the logistics support ship is “carrying the first equipment to establish a temporary pier to deliver vital humanitarian supplies.”
In his State of the Union address on Thursday, US President Joe Biden announced that he was giving the military command to organize an emergency operation to establish a dock off the Mediterranean shore of Gaza to accommodate ships delivering supplies of food, water, medicine, and makeshift shelters.
Following UN concerns about severe starvation among Gaza’s 2.3 million residents five months after Israel began its attack in the Strip in retaliation for an invasion headed by Hamas, Biden made his decision.
There is no port infrastructure in Gaza. To avoid the necessity for security inspections in Gaza, the US first intends to utilize Cyprus, which has suggested a procedure to screen the cargo that would include Israeli officials.
According to Pentagon Press Secretary Patrick Ryder, construction of the pier and causeway that connects it to land would need up to 1,000 US troops and up to 60 days. The soldiers are going to stay out in the ocean.
Separately, a ship loaded with 200 tons of supplies for Gaza was getting ready to depart Cyprus via a sea route that the European Union anticipates opening on Sunday.
TOP PICK | Gaza aid shortage; UK’s patience wanes with Israel
