President Joe Biden instructed the military to build a port on the coast of the Gaza Strip. He will communicate his order to Congress this Thursday during his State of the Union address. A government official confirmed this to the press during a meeting before the president's appearance in Washington, DC.
According to what was communicated to the media, the aid will be directed from the island of Cyprus through the Mediterranean Sea to bring aid by ship to the Gaza Strip. The Navy has several important ships in these waters that will participate in the construction of the dock.
Not a single American soldier in Gaza
However, the launch of a port will take place without any American troops setting foot in the Gaza Strip. Prior to this, the Air Force airdropped containers of humanitarian aid into Gaza. According to Alex Marquardt, CNN's Homeland Security correspondent, the Biden administration official explained that land crossings are "the most efficient and cost-effective way to deliver aid" but "the president has directed... that we not wait for the Israelis" to find a way to move supplies by land.
As announced, the operation will be carried out in collaboration with Israel. In the coming weeks, Israel plans to open a humanitarian corridor with access to the north of the Gaza Strip, that is, from the south of Israel. However, it seems that the Biden administration's plans will be put into action before this happens.
"We know that the aid flowing into Gaza is nowhere near enough and nowhere fast enough. The president will make clear again this evening that we all have to do more, and that the United States is doing more," added the senior administration official.
The dock is expected to be temporary and will allow heavy trucks loaded with water, medicine and other types of supplies to enter the area. More countries will take part in the operation, in addition to Israel. According to the Times of Israel, other nations will play an important role in the construction and distribution of humanitarian aid arriving in Gaza. These functions include controlling and examining the contents of aid trucks arriving in Gaza, with the aim that the supplies do not contain material that could benefit Hamas armed operatives in the Strip.
Biden didn't reach a consensus for a ceasefire
The Biden administration failed to negotiate a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, scheduled for last Monday. One of the reasons why it didn't go through was because more than a hundred Palestinians were killed last week while humanitarian aid was being distributed in the Gaza Strip.
Hamas accused Israel of shooting while aid was being distributed, which caused a deadly stampede. The Israeli government defended itself and claimed that there were three different incidents and that no shots were fired when a hundred people died. The White House confirmed that the versions and information it received regarding this event were contradictory and unclear.
