How the US military is scrambling to build a floating dock to provide aid to Gaza

WASHINGTON (AP) — Even earlier than President Joe Biden introduced in his State of the Union handle the plans for offering aid to Gaza by sea, the Army’s seventh Transportation Brigade and different items have been scrambling to pull gear collectively.

They acquired their orders earlier than the speech: Build a floating dock off the Gaza coast to provide meals and different desperately wanted help to residents of Gaza. The aid is wanted as a result of Israel has sharply restricted land routes into Gaza, slowing the movement of aid to a trickle.

It’s a advanced operation, involving as many as 1,000 U.S. troops, and it received’t occur in a single day. Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, advised reporters it should take weeks for this to come collectively. Some officers say it should take about two months. And past the logistical challenges, the operation will rely upon Israel’s cooperation, which isn’t assured.

A take a look at what’s identified about the operation.

WHY BUILD A FLOATING PIER?

In the 5 months since Hamas militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing about 1,200 individuals and taking 250 others hostage, Israel’s military has battered the territory, killing greater than 30,000 Palestinians, in accordance to the Gaza Health Ministry. The results of the Israel-Hamas warfare is a devastating humanitarian disaster.

The U.N. says nearly all of Gaza’s 2.3 million individuals are struggling to discover meals, and greater than a half-million at the moment face hunger. Many individuals have been diminished to consuming animal fodder to survive.

Getting in meals, medical provides and different aid has been troublesome, if not inconceivable at instances, due to the ongoing hostilities and struggles to coordinate with the Israeli military, which has blocked routes and slowed deliveries due to inspections.

Trucks carrying humanitarian aid have to drive from the Rafah crossing with Egypt or the Kerem Shalom crossing with Israel, each on the southern fringe of Gaza, by the battle zone to attain the largely cut-off areas in the north.

It’s been irritating for the Biden administration as its efforts to step up aid to Gaza have been impeded by the obstacles posed by Israel, its shut ally.

Last week, the U.S. started airdrops of aid for Gaza. But that may provide solely a restricted quantity of aid and should not attain those that want it.

In his handle Thursday, Biden directed the military to assemble a momentary pier on Gaza’s coast “that can receive large ships carrying food, water, medicine and temporary shelters.”

Biden stated the pier will “enable a massive increase in the amount of humanitarian assistance getting into Gaza every day.”

ASSEMBLED LIKE LEGOS

According to protection officers, the seventh Transportation Brigade primarily based at Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Virginia is already beginning to pull collectively what’s referred to as the Joint Logistics Over The Shore (JLOTS) gear and watercraft.

It’s like a big LEGO system — an array of 40-foot-long (12-meter-long) items of metal that may be locked collectively to type a pier and causeway. The causeway can be up to 1,800 ft (almost 550 meters) lengthy and two lanes large.

And in the coming days, U.S. troops will start loading the gear onto a massive Military Sealift Command vessel. The gear will embody the metal items and smaller tug vessels that may assist transfer issues into place.

That loading isn’t seemingly to begin till someday subsequent week, and as soon as finished the ship will set off throughout the Atlantic Ocean with members of the seventh Transportation Brigade aboard. A lot of different military items from the U.S. and overseas may even be collaborating in the mission.

Ryder stated the troops will build an offshore pier the place massive ships can offload meals and provides. Then smaller military vessels will transport that aid from the floating pier to the momentary causeway that shall be pushed into the floor at the shoreline.

Biden stated Thursday that there shall be no U.S. forces on the floor in Gaza for the mission, which can seemingly contain different allies, contractors and aid businesses.

WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES?

A key query shall be what Israel is ready to do to help the aid supply effort.

The U.S. airdrops have been an uncommon workaround by the Biden administration, which for months has appealed to Israel to enhance the supply of aid to Gaza and provide entry and safety for vans carrying the items.

According to Biden, the Israeli authorities will preserve safety at the pier and defend it from any assaults by Hamas. And there may additionally be a want for crowd management, in case residents strive to storm the pier to get the desperately wanted meals.

While officers stated they don’t seemingly want safety on the sea route to Israel there shall be a requirement for allies and personal ships to ship the aid alongside the maritime hall.

It is additionally unclear who shall be unloading the aid at the dock and shifting it to shore.

WHAT ARE OTHER NATIONS AID GROUPS DOING?

Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides provided the use of his nation’s port in Larnaca months in the past for a doable sea route for aid deliveries to Gaza, a 230-mile (370-kilometer) journey. Cyprus invited authorities from Israel, the U.S. and different European international locations to be part of Cypriot brokers in vetting all shipments so nothing might be utilized by Hamas in opposition to Israel. The provide acquired sturdy curiosity from the Americans, Europeans and others, and prolonged planning adopted.

The European Commission stated Friday that a ship bearing humanitarian aid was making ready to go away Cyprus and head for Gaza.

The vessel belonging to Spain’s Open Arms aid group will make a pilot voyage to check the maritime hall in the coming days. The ship has been ready at Larnaca for permission to ship meals aid from World Central Kitchen, a U.S. charity based by celeb chef José Andrés.

The UAE ambassador to the U.S., Yousef Al Otaiba, advised the AP the precise timing of the pilot cargo by sea trusted situations, however stated Sunday seemed favorable. The UAE funded the operation and labored instantly with the Israelis in getting the cargo prepared with out points, he stated.

World Central Kitchen ready the boat in Cyprus with 200 tons of rice, flour and proteins that can quickly be prepared to go away for Gaza, and a further 500 tons of aid is in Cyprus and prepared to observe, spokeswoman Chloe Mata Crane stated in a assertion.

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Associated Press author Ellen Knickmeyer contributed this report.