US President Joe Biden on Thursday (7) announced plans for the US military to establish a temporary post along the coast of the Gaza Strip to bring much-needed additional humanitarian aid to the war-torn enclave.
With that, speaking during his State of the Union address – an annual meeting presented by the US president in the presence of the US Congress –, Biden said that the structure on the Mediterranean coast would receive “large ships transporting food, water, medicine and shelter temporarily.”
“This temporary pier would allow for a massive increase in the amount of humanitarian assistance arriving in Gaza every day,” Biden said.
“But Israel must also do its part. Israel must allow more aid to Gaza and ensure that aid workers are not caught in the crossfire.”
“No American forces will be on the ground in Gaza,” said the president. It was not immediately clear when the port would be operational.
It is worth remembering that Biden’s decision to order the construction of the temporary port comes amid the UN warning about widespread hunger among the 2.3 million Palestinians in the enclave, almost five months after Israel began its offensive in Gaza.
Furthermore, a while ago a senior Biden administration official said that additional assistance would be coordinated with Israel, the United Nations (UN) and non-governmental humanitarian organizations. Initial aid shipments will come through the Mediterranean island nation of Cyprus, the official said.
A senior US administration official also previously said that Israel has “prepared a new land crossing directly into northern Gaza,” a development that comes after weeks of increased US pressure as the humanitarian crisis worsens.
The Israeli government allowed only a quarter of the humanitarian aid missions planned by the UN and partners to enter areas of northern Gaza in February, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said on Thursday.
