The US Navy has reported that a long-awaited makeshift pier that was constructed to deliver critical aid to Palestinian civilians in Gaza has anchored at a beach near the besieged enclave.
According to the US Central Command, as part of an effort to bring more humanitarian aid to Gaza, where thousands of Palestinians are in danger of famine because sufficient supplies have been arriving for months, its personnel moored the pier at approximately 7.40 am local time (5.40 am BST).
Deliveries of vital goods have become more difficult after Israel recently took control of the vital Rafah border crossing in its advance on that southern city on the Egyptian border.
"No US forces entered Gaza as part of this mission. In the upcoming days, it is anticipated that trucks with humanitarian aid would start to come ashore. The material will be received by the UN, which will also arrange for its transfer to Gaza, according to a post on X.
Nevertheless, the UN has not yet decided how exactly it would participate in the relief's distribution after it leaves the port.
Military officials said the operation will begin gradually to test the system, with an initial estimate of roughly 90 truckloads of relief each day likely to rise rapidly to 150.
According to a defense official cited by Reuters, the first shipment from Cyprus is expected to be sufficient for a month's worth of supplies for 11,000 people.
Washington is expected to encounter difficulties that have plagued the UN and other humanitarian organizations for months as it works to provide aid to Gaza, where Israel has begun a heavy bombing campaign in the wake of the October 7 onslaught.
They include the perils of bringing vital help into a conflict zone and the severe vehicle fuel shortage.
"There is no security and no fuel once you get food or supplies into the Gaza Strip, whether it's from the pier or crossing points," stated Bob Kitchen, vice president for emergencies at the International Rescue Committee.
The marine option, which is intended to increase the amount of aid entering the Gaza Strip, is fraught with logistical, meteorological, and security issues; nonetheless, it is not considered.
Approximately 600,000 people, or 25% of Gaza's population, have been displaced as a result of intense combat between Israeli troops and Palestinian terrorists on the edges of Rafah, according to UN officials.
Now that the Israeli military has resumed combat operations in northern Gaza, an additional 100,000 Palestinians have left the area.
Although Pentagon officials stated that the new coastal assistance delivery region is not in danger due to the fighting in Gaza, they have made it clear that security conditions would be continuously monitored and may lead to a temporary closure of the marine route.
During construction, mortar fire was already directed towards the site, and Hamas, the Islamist group in control of Gaza that killed 1,200 people in southern Israel on October 7, has promised to target any foreign
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