The United States began construction of a pier in the Gaza Strip, the Pentagon announced on Thursday (04/25/2024), in a project aimed at facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Palestinian territory bombed by Israel.
US military ships “have begun constructing (…) the temporary port and dock at sea,” Pentagon spokesman General Pat Ryder told reporters.
The small coastal territory has been devastated by more than six months of Israeli bombing and ground operations against militants of the terrorist group Hamas, leaving the civilian population in need of humanitarian assistance to survive.
The facility will consist of an offshore platform for transferring aid from ships to smaller vessels, and a dock to bring it ashore.
The plans were first announced by US President Joe Biden in early March, amid difficulties in distributing assistance by land.
US officials said the effort will not involve deploying troops “on the ground” in Gaza, but US troops will move closer to the besieged territory while building the pier, with Israeli forces providing security.
JU (rtre, afp)
