US President Joe Biden will announce plans during his State of the Union address for the country’s military to establish a temporary port on the Gaza Mediterranean coast to facilitate an increase of humanitarian aid into the territory.
Previewing elements of the speech before both Houses of Congress this evening, administration officials say the operation will not require US troops on the ground to build a pier that will allow for greater access of shipment of food, water and medical supplies into the aid-starved territory.
The details remain slim for now but officials say the port will be built by military engineers operating from ships off the Gazan coast.
The proposed move is just the latest in a series of efforts by the United States to scale up humanitarian aid into the enclave, where the UN has warned of starvation and famine for at least a quarter of Gaza’s population, particularly in the north.
The US also began airdrops of aid into Gaza over the weekend but its impact has been limited.
Desperation and a breakdown in law and order has also seen aid convoys that do enter Gaza being swarmed by people, while looting of aid trucks has become rampant.
Biden earlier hinted at establishing a maritime aid corridor amid a worsening humanitarian catastrophe where basic services have come to a halt.
