During his Independence Day speech, President Joe Biden will order the US military to establish a temporary port in Gaza so that needy Palestinians can receive more humanitarian aid, three senior administration officials said on Thursday.
The presidential administration officials said:
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.
One official said the operation aims to bring more humanitarian aid into the territory in co-operation “with like-minded countries and humanitarian partners”.
The official said the port, which would be temporary, would increase humanitarian aid from Gaza by “hundreds of additional truckloads” per day.
The United States will coordinate the “security” of the proposed humanitarian action with Israel, adding that initial shipments will come from Cyprus, the source added. The UN humanitarian office says Israel granted access to only six of 24 desired aid missions in northern Gaza last month.
The aid will initially arrive through the port of Larnaca in Cyprus, some 230 miles from Gaza. It is already equipped with high-tech inspection equipment that allows Israeli officials based in Cyprus to check what is inside the shipments.
Gaza has no functioning port, so Biden has ordered the US military to help set up a temporary dock. It is not yet clear what role other partners will play in its creation.
The announcement came amid a war that has so far killed more than 30,800 Palestinians, mostly women and children.
The military conflict in the Gaza Strip began on 7 October when the Hamas group attacked Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 250 hostages. On the same day, Israel launched a military offensive against the Gaza Strip.
