United States finishes installing dock for humanitarian aid on the coast of the Gaza Strip

U.S. Central Command announced Thursday that the maritime dock that will allow the delivery of humanitarian aid on the coast of Gaza has been completely installed. The dock connects the coast of the strip with waters deep enough for ships that will bring supplies to the Gazan enclave.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) also announced that the construction operation, which is being carried out under its supervision, is ready to go live in the coming days. It took the Navy about two months to install this dock, since President Joe Biden gave the order. Although construction and logistics are carried out by the United States, no American soldier has set foot in the Gaza Strip.

The operation, in which a coalition of countries participated, was organized on the island of Cyprus. Several members of the European Union also participated, as well as the United Kingdom. According to President Joe Biden, the effort is worth it. It will allow for the alleviation of the humanitarian crisis inside the Gaza Strip and the cessation of aerial methods to deliver aid inside the strip.

"I think we’re going to get about 500 tons [of humanitarian aid] in in the next couple of days. It’s a pretty substantial amount, and it’s spread out over multiple ships right now," Vice Admiral Brad Cooper told the media, in statements reported by The Times of Israel. The United Nations is expected to be in charge of managing the aid that arrives by sea to Gaza. However, there is no confirmation about which U.N. agency will be responsible.

The IDF is expected to be in charge of security at the dock and on the Gazan coast. Two American warships will assist them in this task, the USS Arleigh Burke and the USS Paul Ignatius. Both ships are destroyers equipped with missile defense capabilities to cover U.S. troops and humanitarian coalition allies.

"Protection of U.S. forces participating is a top priority. And as such, in the last several weeks, the United States and Israel have developed an integrated security plan to protect all the personnel who are working," Vice Admiral Cooper added. "We are confident in the ability of this security arrangement to protect those involved."

Israel intensifies its operations in Rafah

The IDF plans to intensify its operations in Rafah and increase the number of troops concentrated in the eastern part of the city, per an announcement from Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Thursday.

Minister Gallant made some statements in this regard during a visit to the border between Israel and Gaza . "Additional troops will join the ground operation in Rafah. Several tunnels in the area have been destroyed," Gallant said.