US warships are heading to Gaza to build a temporary port to provide humanitarian aid to the war-torn region.
This was announced by the US Central Command (CENTCOM). in a statement Less than 36 hours after President Biden announced that the United States would provide humanitarian aid to Gaza by sea, he said a U.S. military ship was en route to the eastern Mediterranean. Biden announced in his State of the Union address that he has directed the US military to lead construction of a port on the Mediterranean coast of Gaza.
Centcom described the General Frank S. Besson as a “logistics support ship” and noted that it was carrying initial equipment to establish a “temporary pier for the delivery of critical humanitarian supplies.”
Construction of the Gaza relief port is expected to take two months and at least 1,000 military personnel will be needed to complete the project, according to the Pentagon. Civilians in Gaza lack humanitarian aid, including medicine, food, water and other basic necessities, as Israel continues its fight against the militant group Hamas.
The United States has taken steps in recent weeks to increase humanitarian aid to Gaza amid criticism of Israel’s actions there. Earlier this month, the U.S. military began transporting humanitarian aid to Gaza using C-130 cargo planes.
Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder said the preliminary report indicates that “transport ships may be able to reload cargo onto smaller ships and transport cargo onto temporary causeways in order to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza.” “We are allowing people to pick up and drop off vehicles,” he said. There are no US military boots on the ground in the enclave.
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