The US has begun construction of a pier for aid ships off the coast of the Gaza Strip. Israel wants to secure the project. Palestinian extremists had previously shelled a construction site for a humanitarian project.
The US military has begun building a temporary port off the coast of the Gaza Strip to deliver aid. US military ships are involved, said Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder: “I can confirm that US military ships (…) have begun building the first sections of the temporary pier and dam at sea.”
Realistically, the port should be operational at the beginning of May. In the meantime, Ryder said, we are continuing to work with the international community to bring aid to the Gaza Strip.
Floating pier for reloading goods
The US government announced at the beginning of March that in view of the humanitarian emergency in the coastal area, the US military wanted to build a temporary port to bring food, water and medicine to the war zone.
At the time, it was said that there were plans to build a floating pier off the coast where commercial ships carrying relief supplies could dock. The goods were then to be transferred to other ships and brought to a floating causeway. This is where they should ultimately be unloaded.
Palestinians attack construction site for humanitarian project
Israel’s army said it would provide logistics and security support for the American initiative. It had previously become known that, according to Israeli reports, Palestinian extremists fired mortar shells at a construction site for a humanitarian project in the north of the Gaza Strip during a visit by UN employees. According to the information, the incident occurred on Wednesday. According to Israeli media, no one was injured.
When asked, Ryder spoke of reports that a few shells had been fired where the relief supplies were supposed to arrive. This had no influence on the construction plans and happened before the US military began construction. Ryder made it clear again that there were no plans for US forces to enter the Gaza Strip itself. It is still unclear how the relief supplies will be distributed locally.