WASHINGTON (AP) — Even before President Joe Biden's announcement His State of the Union address With plans to deliver aid to Gaza by sea, the Army's 7th Transport Brigade and other units were scrambling to pull equipment together.
They received their orders before the speech: Build Floating dock off the coast of Gaza to provide much-needed food and other aid to the people of Gaza. The aid is necessary because Israel has imposed strict restrictions on land routes into Gaza, which has greatly slowed the flow of aid.
It's a complex operation, involving up to 1,000 US soldiers, and it won't happen overnight. Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Rader, the Pentagon's press secretary, told reporters that it would take weeks for that matter to be resolved. Some officials say it will take about two months. Aside from the logistical challenges, the operation will depend on Israel's cooperation, which is not guaranteed.
A look at what is known about the process.
Why build a floating dock?
In the five months since Hamas militants attacked Israel on October 7, killing about 1,200 people and taking 250 more hostage, the Israeli military has bombed the area, killing more than 30,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health. a result Israel-Hamas war It is devastating Humanitarian catastrophe.
The United Nations says that all of Gaza's 2.3 million residents are struggling to obtain food, and that more than half a million people are struggling to obtain food. Currently facing famine. Many people have been forced to eat animal feed to survive.
Obtaining food, medical supplies and other assistance has been difficult, if not impossible at times, due to ongoing hostilities and struggles to coordinate with the Israeli military, which Deadlocks and slow deliveries Because of inspections.
Trucks carrying humanitarian aid must proceed from the Rafah crossing with Egypt or the Kerem Shalom crossing with Israel, both on the southern end of Gaza, through the conflict zone to reach the largely isolated areas in the north.
It has been frustrating for the Biden administration, as its efforts to increase aid to Gaza have been hampered by obstacles imposed by Israel, its close ally.
Last week, the United States began… Air drop Of aid to Gaza. But this can only provide a limited amount of aid and may not reach those who need it.
In his speech on Thursday, Biden directed the military to build a temporary dock on the Gaza coast “that can receive large ships carrying food, water, medicine, and temporary shelters.”
Biden said the dock “will enable a massive increase in the amount of humanitarian aid arriving in Gaza every day.”
They are assembled like Legos
According to defense officials, the 7th Transportation Brigade based at Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Virginia has already begun assembling so-called Joint Logistics Ashore (JLOTS) equipment and watercraft.
It's like a massive LEGO system — a collection of 40-foot (12-meter) steel pieces that can be linked together to form a pier and bridge. The bridge will be 1,800 feet (about 550 meters) long and two lanes wide.
In the coming days, US forces will begin loading equipment onto a large military ship belonging to the Sealift Command. Equipment will include steel pieces and small tugs that can help move objects into place.
This loading is unlikely to begin until sometime next week, and once that is completed, the ship will set off across the Atlantic Ocean with members of the 7th Transport Brigade on board. A number of other military units from the United States and abroad will also participate in the mission.
Ryder said the troops will build a pier where large ships can unload food and supplies. Smaller military ships will then transfer that aid from the floating dock to the temporary bridge that will be driven into the ground at shore.
Biden said Thursday that there would be no US troops on the ground in Gaza to participate in the mission, which will likely include other allies, contractors and relief agencies.
What are the challenges?
The key question will be what Israel is prepared to do to support aid delivery efforts.
The US airdrops were an unusual solution by the Biden administration, which had for months appealed to Israel to increase aid deliveries to Gaza and provide access and protection for trucks carrying goods.
According to Biden, the Israeli government will maintain security on the pier and protect it from any attacks by Hamas. Crowd control may also be needed, should residents attempt to storm the sidewalk to get much-needed food.
While officials said they likely do not need security on the sea route to Israel, allies and private ships will be needed to deliver aid along the sea corridor.
It is also unclear who will unload the aid at the pier and transport it to shore.
What are other nations' aid groups doing?
Months ago, Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides offered to use his country's port in Larnaca for a possible sea route to deliver aid to Gaza, on a 230-mile (370 km) journey. Cyprus called on authorities from Israel, the United States and other European countries to join Cypriot agents in examining all shipments so that Hamas does not use anything against Israel. The show received great interest from Americans, Europeans and others, and extensive planning ensued.
The European Commission announced on Friday that a ship carrying humanitarian aid was preparing to leave Cyprus and head to Gaza.
The ship, belonging to the Spanish aid group Open Arms, will make a trial voyage to test the sea corridor in the coming days. The ship was waiting in Larnaca to obtain permission to deliver food aid from World Central Kitchen, an American charity founded by celebrity chef José Andrés.
The UAE's ambassador to the United States, Yousef Al Otaiba, told the AP that the exact timing of the trial shipment by sea depends on conditions, but he said Sunday seemed appropriate. He said that the UAE financed the operation and worked directly with the Israelis to prepare the shipment without problems.
Kitchen spokeswoman Chloe Mata-Crane said in a statement that the World Central Kitchen prepared the boat in Cyprus with 200 tons of rice, flour and proteins that will soon be ready to leave for Gaza, and there are also an additional 500 tons of aid in Cyprus and ready to follow. .
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Associated Press writer Ellen Knickmeyer contributed to this report.
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