Images provided by U.S. Central Command show U.S. Army soldiers, U.S. Navy sailors and the Israel Defense Forces placing Trident Dock on the coast of Gaza on Thursday.
Associated Press
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Associated Press
Images provided by U.S. Central Command show U.S. Army soldiers, U.S. Navy sailors and the Israel Defense Forces placing Trident Dock on the coast of Gaza on Thursday.
Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Trucks carrying much-needed aid to the Gaza Strip rolled past a new U.S. floating dock Friday for the first time into the besieged enclave, as Israeli restrictions on crossings and fierce fighting hampered the arrival of food and other supplies In the hands of people there.
U.S. military officials expect the volume of cargo entering the Gaza Strip to reach 150 trucks a day, as Israel’s seven-month offensive against Hamas continues and moves toward the southern city of Rafah. The shipment is the first shipment in the operation.
But the United States and aid groups have also warned that the terminal project is not considered a replacement for land transport, which can bring all the food, water and fuel Gaza needs. Before the war, an average of more than 500 trucks entered Gaza every day.
The success of the operation remains fragile due to the risk of militant attacks, logistical obstacles and growing shortages of fuel to run trucks since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip. 250 people were taken hostage. Local health officials say Israel’s subsequent offensive has killed more than 35,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and hundreds more in the West Bank.
U.S. Central Command acknowledged the aid operation in a statement on Friday, saying the first batch of aid had entered Gaza at 9 a.m. and that no U.S. troops had landed during the operation.
“This is an ongoing, multinational effort to provide increased assistance to Palestinian civilians in Gaza through a maritime corridor that is entirely humanitarian in nature and will involve donations of aid from many countries and humanitarian organizations,” the command said.
Troops completed installation of the floating dock on Thursday. Hours later, the Pentagon said humanitarian aid would begin flowing soon and no support was expected as part of a U.N.-coordinated distribution.
However, the United Nations says fuel deliveries by land have all but stopped, making it extremely difficult to deliver aid to the people of Gaza.
“We urgently need fuel,” said UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq. “No matter how the aid comes, whether by sea or land, without fuel it cannot reach the people.”
Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singer said fuel supply issues come up in all U.S. conversations with Israel. She also said the plan would start slowly with sea routes and gradually increase truck deliveries over time to address issues in the system.
Aid agencies say southern Gaza is running out of food and fuel, while the U.S. Agency for International Development and the World Food Program say famine is already occurring in northern Gaza.
Israel claims it has no restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid and accuses the United Nations of delays in distributing supplies to Gaza. The United Nations says fighting, Israeli fires and chaotic security have hampered deliveries. Israel is also concerned that Hamas will use the fuel against Israeli forces.
Under pressure from the United States, Israel has opened two crossings in recent weeks to deliver aid to hard-hit northern Gaza, saying a series of Hamas attacks on the main crossing point of Kerem Shalom had disrupted shipments circulation. Israelis also staged violent protests, disrupting aid deliveries.
Israel recently seized the main Rafah border crossing in a crackdown on Hamas around the city of Rafah on the Egyptian border, raising concerns about the safety of civilians while also cutting off the main entry point for aid into the Gaza Strip.
US President Biden ordered the terminal project, which is expected to cost US$320 million. Shiploads of aid will be stored at a port facility built by the Israelis southwest of Gaza City and then distributed by aid groups.
U.S. officials said the first batch of aid shipments totaled 500 tons. The United States has coordinated closely with Israel on how to protect ships and personnel working on the beaches.
But questions remain about how aid groups can safely distribute food in Gaza, said Sonali Coder, assistant director of the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Humanitarian Assistance Bureau, which handles logistics.
Corder said there was “a very unsafe operating environment” and aid groups were still trying to get permission to plan operations in Gaza.
Last month, an Israeli attack killed seven aid workers at World Central Kitchen, whose trips were coordinated with Israeli officials, and other aid workers died during the war.
Pentagon officials have made clear that the security situation will be closely monitored and could lead to the closure of sea lanes, even if only temporarily. “We are confident in the ability of this security arrangement to protect those involved,” Navy Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, deputy commander of U.S. Central Command, told reporters Thursday.
The site has been the target of mortar attacks during construction, with Hamas threatening to target any foreign forces that “occupy” the Gaza Strip.
Biden has made clear that there will be no U.S. troops on the ground in Gaza, so third-country contractors will bring trucks ashore. “The United Nations will receive the aid and coordinate its distribution to Gaza,” Cooper said.
The World Food Program will be the U.N. agency responsible for handling the aid, officials said.
Israeli forces are responsible for shore security, but two U.S. Navy ships are also nearby to protect U.S. troops and others.
Aid from the sea route is collected and inspected in Cyprus before being loaded onto ships and traveling about 200 miles (320 kilometers) to a large floating dock built by the United States off the coast of Gaza. There, the pallets are transferred to trucks and driven to military ships. After the truck delivered the relief supplies to the shore, it immediately turned around and returned to the ship.
