Staff Reports
U.S. forces are making progress on a temporary port in the Mediterranean Sea close to Gaza’s coast, but harsh weather has presented a recent challenge. On Thursday, construction was temporarily halted due to forecasted high winds and sea swells, and the military vessels involved in the construction were moved to the Israeli Port of Ashdod, according to U.S. Central Command.
The pier is expected to be operational within a few days, with the capacity to handle 90 aid trucks a day initially and up to 150 daily at full capacity. The U.S. is constructing a floating pier about two miles off Gaza’s coast and a causeway extending from the beach into the water. The pier will serve as a hub for ships loaded with humanitarian aid from Cyprus, which will then be unloaded onto smaller ships for transportation to the causeway. Once on shore, the aid will be handed off to humanitarian groups for distribution.
The construction project is estimated to cost approximately $320 million and has required the deployment of about 1,000 U.S. forces. The pier is intended to provide an additional route for the international community to deliver aid to Gaza, which has suffered from the effects of Israel’s conflict with Hamas. President Biden previously warned Israel of potential consequences for impeding aid to Gaza after an errant drone strike resulted in the deaths of seven aid workers on April 1.
In addition to the challenges posed by weather and geopolitical tensions, there have also been difficulties in delivering aid from Gaza’s borders to those in need. Aid shipments from Jordan through a new land route were intercepted and diverted by Hamas, prompting condemnation from U.S. officials. The United Nations has worked to recover the intercepted aid, emphasizing the unacceptable nature of such actions by Hamas.
The completion of the temporary port is a significant step toward providing essential aid to the people of Gaza, who have been impacted by both conflict-related and logistical obstacles.
