In his State of the Union address, US president Joe Biden unveiled plans for US forces to construct a temporary pier along the Gaza coast. This move is aimed at expediting the delivery of substantial humanitarian aid to the beleaguered Palestinian territory, which is on the brink of mass famine. In his announcement, President Biden heartbreakingly recounted the plight of almost two million Palestinians, living under constant bombardment or displaced, lacking basic necessities including food, water, and medicine.
President Biden highlighted the leading role that the United States is taking in the humanitarian relief efforts. He stated that he was commissioning an urgent task for the US military to create this temporary docking pier in the Mediterranean, capable of accommodating large vessels laden with food, shelter and medical aid. The US president assured there would be no American troops on the ground and that this move would significantly augment the daily humanitarian assistance reaching Gaza.
However, President Biden also sent a clear message to Israel, emphasising their responsibility to contribute to the relief efforts. He stressed that humanitarian assistance should never be used as a tool for negotiation, underlining that the priority must always be to protect and preserve innocent lives.
The White House further underscored the importance of this endeavour, citing the hindrances that road deliveries have faced in the past due to Israeli interventions. A senior official highlighted the necessity of this initiative, stating, “This is a moment for American leadership.”
However, it was noted that this strategy may take several weeks to execute, raising concerns about the timeliness of the relief. While the move was appreciated by aid experts, they conveyed it was less effective than urging Israel, through US influence, to permit increased access to land-based humanitarian help.
According to sources, US military engineers will construct the temporary pier offshore from the ancient Gaza City port in the Rimal district, implying that no US troops will need to set foot on Gazan soil. The aid will be dispatched from the port of Larnaca in Cyprus, designated as the primary hub of relief. US administration officials have indicated that Israeli officials will be granted the right to inspect aid consignments in Larnaca.
The imminent announcement from Mr Biden on Thursday night is set to be succeeded by a collective statement from the participating nations and relief agencies involved in the maritime relief passage. The United Arab Emirates is among the nations participating, although it remains uncertain if they will contribute forces to safeguard the aid vanguard.
Charitable organisations have indicated that efforts for providing much-needed aid to the besieged region have been impeded due to struggles in working with the Israeli armed forces, continuous conflict, and the collapse of public law and order.
Mr Biden has faced staunch criticism from within his own party due to the lack of access to humanitarian aid in Gaza, given the impending famine and the death of 30,000 Palestinians since the war began on October 7th.
In February, the UN disclosed that more than a quarter of the 2.3 million residents in Gaza are suspected to be experiencing extreme levels of deprivation and starvation. The UN stated that without intervention, an all-encompassing famine might be “almost unavoidable”.
American military cargo planes, in collaboration with the Jordanian air force, executed their third food aid drop over Gaza in a week on Thursday. This has increased the total of US military rations dropped to nearly 113,000. Still, each drop is usually comparable to a few truckloads of food, falling far short of meeting the needs of a population teetering on the edge of starvation.
“We need large amounts of help to circumvent a famine. We’re talking about hundreds of thousands of individuals. Dropping aid packages from the air is not a viable solution for preventing famine,” said Carl Skau, Deputy Executive Director of the World Food Programme. He called for the opening of a maritime passage to deliver aid.
The White House disclosed that Israel had also consented to inaugurate a third road entry into Gaza, thus providing more direct accessibility to northern Gaza – an area most threatened by the imminent famine. – Guardian