The situation in Gaza underscores the dire need for humanitarian aid and the complexities involved in delivering it effectively.
While it’s commendable that some countries have been delivering airdropped aid, the need for more to be done cannot be overemphasized.
The Pentagon announced that the United States has begun construction of a temporary pier intended to help deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, with the ultimate goal of delivering trucks of aid per day to the starving population there.
“US military vessels to include the USNS Benavidez have begun to construct the initial stages of the temporary pier and causeway at sea,” Pentagon Press Secretary, Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder said at a briefing.
A senior military official confirmed that “we are on track to begin delivery of humanitarian assistance to Gaza from the sea in early May,” which will begin at the equivalent of 90 trucks per day of aid and then “quickly scale up” to 150 trucks per day once full operational capacity is reached, the official said.
The Pentagon’s announcement of this ambitious project underscores the urgent need to address the dire situation facing the population, which is grappling with starvation and essential resource shortages.
However, this endeavor is fraught with challenges, which threaten to hinder the successful implementation of this much-needed relief effort.
The plan to bring more desperately needed food to Palestinian civilians is still mired in fears over security and how the aid will be delivered.
The official said the US military is prepared to execute the mission “for several months,” but emphasized that there will be no US boots on the ground in Gaza, something President Joe Biden ruled out when he first announced in March that the pier would be built.
Instead, the Israel Defense Forces will partner with the US military to anchor the causeway to the shore in Gaza “on day one,” the military official said.
The official added that a US Army engineering unit has been training an IDF engineering unit in recent weeks on how to anchor the causeway to the shore.
However, US troops will be several hundred meters from the Gaza beach as they operate the system, known as Joint Logistics Over the Shore, or JLOTS, and potentially within range of rockets or missiles fired from terror groups from Gaza.
“We’ve factored in all the variables to maximize force protection,” the official said, adding that US Navy destroyers currently in the eastern Mediterranean “will be complementary” to the overall mission.
In a statement, the Israeli military said that it would provide security and logistics support for the pier and an Israeli military brigade, which includes thousands of soldiers, along with Israeli Navy ships and air force, would work to protect US troops who are setting up the pier.
Concerns about the risk to American troops getting caught up in the conflict were underscored as news emerged of a mortar attack near the area where the pier will eventually touch ground.
No US forces were present, however a UN team inspecting the site were forced to take shelter.
Aid groups have said they have broad concerns about their safety and reservations about how Israeli forces will handle security. Sonali Korde, an official with the US Agency for International Development, told a news agency that key agreements for security and handling the aid deliveries were still being negotiated.
Those include how Israeli forces will operate in Gaza to ensure that aid workers are not harmed.
The UN’s World Food Program has agreed to lead the aid delivery effort, but its Deputy Executive Director said that the group must be able to operate in a safe and secure way.
Rafah Invasion To Start In Coming Days
Meanwhile, Egyptian officials briefed on Israel’s plans for Rafah said that on-the-ground preparations to enter the city, where about 1 million Palestinians have sought shelter, could start in the coming days.
A ground invasion of Rafah, which Israel says is now the main stronghold of Hamas militants in Gaza, risks further disrupting the delivery of desperately needed food, drinking water and other essentials.
Most humanitarian aid now enters through two border crossings in southern Gaza.
Any operation in Rafah would likely be preceded by weeks of efforts to evacuate civilians sheltering there, the official said.
A separate Israeli official said international organizations have already begun preparing for an invasion of Rafah by moving some of their infrastructure, such as shelters and field hospitals, from Rafah to the al-Mawasi area north of the city, which Israel has designated as a humanitarian zone.
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