Published: March 8, 2024 4:01 am
Author: RT
The US military will build a temporary pier on the Palestinian enclave’s coast, the president said
The US Army will construct a temporary pier on the Gazan coast in order to deliver humanitarian aid to the besieged Palestinian enclave, President Joe Biden said during his State of the Union address on Thursday night.
He made his statement after the war between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas entered its fifth month this week. The US earlier began airdropping packages of aid into Gaza. The new method is set to facilitate the deliveries by sea.
“Tonight I’m directing the US military to lead an emergency mission to establish a temporary pier in the Mediterranean on the coast of Gaza that can receive large shipments carrying food, water, medicine and temporary shelters,” Biden said. He added that “no US boots will be on the ground.”
A senior White House official told reporters that the pier will be able to bring “hundreds of additional truckloads of assistance each day.” The first shipments will come via Cyprus, the official said.
According to the official who spoke to reporters shortly before Biden delivered his address, the US will “coordinate with the Israelis on the security requirements on land,” and work with the UN and humanitarian groups to distribute the aid.
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