CENTCOM announced from their MacDill headquarters in Tampa, Florida, that on Thursday, May 16, 2024, at approximately 7:40 a.m. Gaza time, personnel from the United States Central Command participating in the humanitarian mission installed a temporary pier on the Gaza beach to deliver further assistance to Palestinian civilians. This operation did not include U.S. troops entering Gaza. Trucks carrying humanitarian aid are expected to begin arriving on the shore in the coming days. The United Nations is prepared to receive this aid and will manage its distribution within Gaza.
During a Pentagon press briefing, it was announced, “For six weeks, we have collaborated intensively with the Israeli Defense Force to ensure that logistics, operations, command-and-control, communications, and force protection are comprehensively addressed. IDF engineers have readied the Gaza beach and affixed the temporary pier. These engineers received specialized training for this mission from U.S. Army engineers,” as stated by Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, deputy commander of U.S. Central Command, on Thursday.
It is anticipated that between 800 to 1000 tons of aid will arrive through the port, with deliveries conducted by trucks and airdrops. The port’s operation will create up to four access points, facilitating the delivery of much-needed aid to the people of Gaza.
The U.S. has announced that aid trucks are anticipated to start coming ashore in the next few days following the establishment of a temporary pier. However, the U.N. and humanitarian organizations have indicated that there are still challenges that need to be addressed.
“If you’ve got an active war zone like Gaza is … internal distribution security is really difficult, compounded by the lack of fuel,” U.N. aid chief Martin Griffiths told Reuters in an interview on Thursday.
In March, President Joe Biden declared the establishment of a pier following the U.N.’s appeal to Israel to enhance land route access for relief supplies into Gaza. The U.S. aims to alleviate the humanitarian crisis threatening hundreds of thousands with famine by initiating a seaborne aid delivery route.
The U.S. has announced that aid trucks are anticipated to start coming ashore in the next few days following the establishment of a temporary pier. However, the U.N. and humanitarian organizations have indicated that there are still challenges that need to be addressed.
“An active war zone such as Gaza presents significant challenges for internal distribution security, exacerbated by fuel shortages,” stated U.N. aid chief Martin Griffiths in a Reuters interview on Thursday.
The delivery of aid to the people in Gaza by UNRWA has faced delays, which Israel attributes to Hamas, accusing them of diverting food, water, and medicine intended for those in dire need. This accusation is a recurring topic in the daily briefings from the Office of the Prime Minister.
The issue has escalated to such an extent that the United States, along with other principal donors who collectively contributed over half of UNRWA’s budget in 2022, have halted their funding to the agency. Additionally, there have been reports of Israeli protesters blocking aid trucks from entering Gaza, an action that the IDF has actively sought to prevent.
Previously, about 100 to 120 aid trucks entered Gaza from Israel daily. This figure has now risen to approximately 190 trucks. Furthermore, following diplomatic efforts by the Biden administration, Israel has consented to the daily entry of more than200 trucks carrying humanitarian aid into Gaza. The circumstances are intricate, yet the endeavor to deliver vital supplies to the needy persists.
The issue primarily lies in the distribution of aid rather than the quantity being sent to Gaza. Israel persists in urging the United Nations to dispatch additional aid workers to deliver the crucial supplies to those suffering. However, the chaos of war persists, as evidenced by the numerous aid workers who have lost their lives while attempting to fulfill their duties.
The hope is that by pushing so much aid along with a better accounting for how it gets to those in Gaza who are in desperate need. The Israeli’s the U.S. along with the United Nations and their partners hopefully are prepaired to handle this new influx of aid.
Jim Williams covers the conflict between Israel and Hamas, offering comprehensive written articles and video coverage on various Middle Eastern issues.
Washington based CEO & Founder of LJC. Media covering politics, sports, & entertainment A seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director, and podcast host. Digital Director and Washington Bureau Chief at News Talk Florida & The Daily Cable
