Biden Will Announce a Plan for a Temporary Port on Gaza’s Coast To Increase Flow of Aid

CAIRO — President Biden will announce in his State of the Union address Thursday night a plan for the American military to help establish a temporary port on the Gaza coast aimed at increasing the flow of aid into the territory during the Israel-Hamas war, according to senior administration officials.The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to preview the announcement, said the operation will not require that American troops be on the ground to build the pier that is intended to allow more shipments of food, medicine, and other essential items.The officials did not provide details about how the pier would be built. One noted that the American military has “unique capabilities” and can do things from “just offshore.” They said it would likely take weeks before it was operational.The move provides one more layer to the extraordinary dynamic that’s emerged as America goes around Israel, its main Mideast ally, to find ways to get aid into Gaza, including through airdrops.Mr. Biden last week first raised the idea of establishing a sea-based corridor, saying America was working with allies on how it might provide assistance from the Mediterranean to those at Gaza.General Erik Kurilla, who is the head of America’s Central Command, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that he had briefed officials on such a maritime option. Also Thursday, America conducted a third airdrop at the northern part of Gaza, where there is no Israeli presence. General Kurilla said Central Command has provided options for increasing the number of trucks taking aid to those areas.Five months of fighting between Israel and Hamas have left much of Hamas-run Gaza in ruins and raised humanitarian concerns that many Palestinian Arabs, especially in the north, are facing food shortages.Aid groups have said it has become nearly impossible to deliver supplies within most of Gaza because of the difficulty of coordinating with the Israeli military, the ongoing hostilities, and the breakdown of public order.Conditions are particularly dire in the north of Gaza, where many of the estimated 300,000 people still living there have reportedly face severe food shortages. The United Nations says one in six children younger than 2 in the north suffers from acute malnutrition.Facing global calls to alleviate the situation, Israeli officials said Wednesday that it will begin allowing aid to move directly from its territory into northern Gaza and will also cooperate with the creation of a sea route from Cyprus.The announcement of plans to build the temporary port comes as Hamas said its delegation had left Cairo and that talks on a cease-fire and hostage release would resume next week, making it extremely unlikely that mediators will broker a deal before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Biden Will Announce a Plan for a Temporary Port on Gaza’s Coast To Increase Flow of Aid

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