The US Central Command (Centcom) announced today, Friday, the movement of the first humanitarian aid trucks across the floating dock into the Gaza Strip.
Centcom explained – in a statement – that trucks loaded with humanitarian aid began moving to the beach in the morning through the temporary pier in Gaza.
She explained that the operation comes as part of “an ongoing multinational effort to provide additional aid to Palestinian civilians in Gaza through the sea corridor, which is entirely humanitarian in nature, which includes aid donated by a number of countries and humanitarian organizations.”
Yesterday, Thursday, the United States finished anchoring a temporary floating port off the shores of the Gaza Strip, in a step aimed at facilitating the delivery of aid to the besieged Strip, which is threatened by famine due to the Israeli aggression.
Farhan Haq, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, indicated that negotiations are still ongoing regarding the distribution of aid. He added that operational plans are currently being developed to ensure readiness to deal with aid, with an emphasis on the safety of employees.
Haq stressed that relying on the floating dock alone to provide humanitarian aid is not enough, stressing that aid must reach areas in need urgently, whether by sea or land, and that without fuel, aid will not reach the people who need it.
Aid delivery
Regarding concerns, US State Department spokesman Vedant Patel indicated that the United States is working with the United Nations to determine appropriate methods of action.
Last March, US President Joe Biden announced the establishment of this port at a cost of no less than $320 million, as part of international efforts to overcome the restrictions imposed by Israel on bringing aid overland into the Strip.
The ships transport the aid after being inspected in Cyprus, and then loaded onto trucks once they arrive at the port.
Cooper explained that about a thousand American soldiers and sailors are participating in the operation, but their tasks are limited only to managing the floating dock and not the aid delivery process, which will be handled by the United Nations.
He stressed that there will be no American military forces on the ground in Gaza.
Famine in Gaza
The United Nations warned of the impending famine in Gaza, noting that the majority of the Strip’s population of 2.3 million people have been displaced since the beginning of the war 7 months ago.
The United Nations and international organizations stress that delivering aid by sea or dropping it from the air cannot compensate for the need to open land crossings to allow more aid trucks to enter Gaza.
The Rafah border crossing with Egypt, which is the main crossing point for ground aid, remains closed since Israel took control of it on May 7.
The Israeli army’s incursion into the city of Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip, came after weeks of threats, despite warnings from the United States and international parties regarding the fate of about 1.4 million Palestinians there.
The majority of these residents were displaced from other areas in the Strip as a result of the escalation of the conflict.
90 trucks per day
The announcement of the establishment of the floating port came yesterday, Thursday, after the Cypriot government confirmed that the American ship “James A. Lux” had left the island carrying humanitarian aid and equipment to unload and transport the aid to the dock.
Cypriot government spokesman, Konstantinos Letembiotis, said that new cargoes carrying food supplies, medical supplies, hygiene materials, and temporary shelters are expected to leave, noting that the United Nations will receive and distribute the aid.
Last Wednesday, Britain announced the departure of the first shipment carrying about 100 tons of humanitarian aid to Gaza, noting that the port will facilitate the delivery of about 90 shipments of aid per day, and this will be increased to 150 shipments per day once it is fully operational.
The British statement stressed that the sea corridor is not a substitute for aid delivered via land routes, which remains the fastest and most effective way to deliver aid to Gaza.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak added, “We know that more is needed, especially by land.”
The Associated Press quoted (unnamed) American military officials who expected about 150 aid trucks to cross daily through the floating dock into the Gaza Strip.
However, humanitarian workers say that aid coming by sea will not be enough to alleviate the severe human suffering in Gaza, and that the most effective way is to deliver it through land crossings.
