A new pier has been moored to the beach in Gaza, and the Pentagon has declared that humanitarian assistance will soon begin streaming onto the coast, reaching the people in need.
After seven months of fierce conflict between Israel and Hamas, the 2.3 million people living in Gaza are in dire need of food and other supplies. Unfortunately, according to the United Nations, fuel imports have almost halted, making it exceedingly challenging to transmit relief to Gaza.
More than two months ago, President Joe Biden authorized the $320 million pier project to aid the hungry Palestinians. Food and other supplies are unable to reach Gaza due to Israeli restrictions on border crossings and severe fighting. Aid organizations will disperse the cargo when it is placed at a port facility constructed by the Israelis, which is located immediately southwest of Gaza City. The United States and Israel have been in regular communication over the best way to ensure the safety of the ships and beach workers, as up to 500 tons of food are expected to reach the shores of Gaza in the coming days.
U.N. authorities estimate that 700,000 Palestinians have been displaced as a result of fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian terrorists near Rafah in the south and Israel’s return to combat operations in northern Gaza. Even as it was being built, a mortar fire hit the location. Hamas has warned to attack any foreign troops who “occupy” the Gaza Strip.
According to the United Nations, American, and international humanitarian organizations, Israel has been releasing only a small portion of the food and other supplies that were usually sent to Gaza before the war broke out in October due to Hamas’ assaults on the Jewish state. According to aid organizations, food and gasoline are becoming more scarce in southern Gaza, while hunger has broken out in northern Gaza, according to USAID and the World Food Program.
Military officials have said that assistance delivery would start cautiously to guarantee the system’s effectiveness. The new maritime route allows for the safe arrival of humanitarian supplies to Larnaca port in Cyprus, where they will be examined and secured. Proceeding to the massive floating dock constructed by the United States Navy off the shore of Gaza, it is transported almost 200 kilometers by ship.