The US military is to establish a temporary port off Gaza’s coast to bring in aid, US President Joe Biden said on Thursday.
Announcing the initiative in his state of the union address, Biden asked Israel to let more assistance into the blockaded territory even as he defended Jerusalem’s military operation against Hamas.
“Tonight, I’m directing the US military to lead an emergency mission to establish a temporary pier in the Mediterranean on the coast of Gaza that can receive large shipments carrying food, water medicine and temporary shelters,” Biden told the joint session of the US Congress. “A temporary pier will enable a massive increase in the amount of humanitarian assistance getting in Gaza.”
Photo: US Air Force/Handout via Reuters
While led by the US military, the operation would not put US troops on the ground in Gaza, he said.
The aid operation comes after the US carried out several days of airdrops of aid into Gaza, coordinated with Israel.
Such massive operations generally take place in hostile or cut-off regions and have little precedent in territories controlled by a close partner and top recipient of US military aid.
Biden, whose motorcade left the White House for the Capitol after protesters demanding an end to the war gathered in nearby streets, pleaded with Israel to do more.
“To the leadership of Israel I say this: Humanitarian assistance cannot be a secondary consideration or a bargaining chip. Protecting and saving innocent lives has to be a priority,” Biden said.
The temporary port would feature a pier to “provide the capacity for hundreds of additional truckloads of assistance each day,” a senior Biden administration official said.
In a key factor for Israel, the shipments would be screened by the US and partners in Cyprus.
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