Biden to Announce U.S. Will Build Port In Gaza to Deliver Aid: ‘Not Waiting For the Israelis’
AP Photo/Alex Brandon
President Joe Biden will announce at tonight’s State of the Union address that the U.S. will build a port in Gaza to help deliver humanitarian aid.
U.S. military forces plan to build a temporary port on the Gaza shoreline in the following weeks as civilians struggle to receive food and medical aid, according to The Guardian.
Last week, Biden said the U.S. would begin airdropping humanitarian aid in Gaza after Israeli forces blocked prior attempts to deliver aid to civilians. Democratic allies of the president have demanded the president call for a ceasefire at his speech before Congress tonight.
“We are not waiting on the Israelis. This is a moment for American leadership,” an unnamed senior US official told The Guardian on Thursday.
“Tonight, the president will announce in his State of the Union address that he has directed the US military to undertake an emergency mission to establish a port in Gaza, working in partnership with like minded countries and humanitarian partners,” the official added. “This port, the main feature of which is a temporary pier, will provide the capacity for hundreds of additional truckloads of assistance each day.”
A port in Larnaca, Cyprus, will be the main hub from where U.S. forces will deliver relief to the region. The port will reportedly be built by engineers in the U.S. military who will be operating off ships stationed in the Gaza coast.
However, the U.S. will grant Israeli forces the ability to inspect aid shipments coming from Larnaca, the official said.
“We will coordinate with the Israelis on the security requirements on land and work with the UN and humanitarian NGOs on the distribution of assistance within Gaza,” the official noted. “Initial shipments will come via Cyprus enabled by the US military and a coalition of partners and allies. This new significant capability will take a number of weeks to plan and execute. The forces that will be required to complete this mission there are either already in the region or will begin to move there soon.”
