The U.S. military has begun moving components of a temporary pier to assist in the delivery of international humanitarian aid from the Mediterranean Sea into Gaza. The temporary pier consists of a floating platform and a causeway, with construction completed last week and pieces moving towards Gaza from the Port of Ashdod in Israel. The pier is expected to be operational in the coming days, potentially as early as Thursday, to help address the growing need for food and supplies in Gaza, particularly as Israel prepares for a possible offensive in Rafah.
USAID Response Director Daniel Dieckhaus highlighted the challenges faced by humanitarian actors in delivering aid to Rafah, with critical border crossings closed and difficulties in accessing warehouses and distributing aid due to the deteriorating situation. The Biden administration has indicated that the temporary pier will increase the amount of aid getting into Gaza, but it is not meant to replace more efficient entry points by road. The aid flow through the corridor is expected to start in Cyprus, undergo inspection, and be loaded onto ships for transport to the floating platform in the eastern Mediterranean, where it will be transferred to Gaza by U.S. military vessels.
The Israeli Defense Forces are providing security on the beachhead, while the United Nations is coordinating the delivery of supplies to people in Gaza. Initially, the corridor is expected to deliver about 90 trucks’ worth of aid per day, increasing to 150 per day once at full capacity. Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, the deputy commander of U.S. Central Command, noted that there are hundreds of tons of aid ready for delivery once the corridor is operational, with thousands of tons in the pipeline. The estimated cost of the corridor is around $320 million, with President Biden emphasizing the importance of humanitarian assistance and the protection of innocent lives.
President Biden announced the maritime corridor during his State of the Union address in March, emphasizing the priority of protecting and saving innocent lives in Gaza. He assured that no U.S. troops would enter Gaza, with about 1,000 U.S. service members dedicated to the maritime corridor operation off the coast. The construction of the temporary pier and the establishment of the aid corridor aim to address the urgent humanitarian needs in Gaza, particularly in light of the escalating situation and the potential for increased conflict in the region.
