ALBAWABA - The US Military announced finishing installing a floating pier for the Gaza Strip on Thursday, as officials plan to initiate delivering desperately needed humanitarian aid to the besieged enclave.
The port, which is fraught with logistical, weather, and security issues, is intended to increase the quantity of aid delivered to the Gaza Strip, but it is not considered a replacement for significantly cheaper land-based deliveries, which aid agencies believe are much more sustainable, according to officials.
The boatloads of aid will be dumped at an Israeli-built port facility just southwest of Gaza City before being dispersed by charity agencies. US authorities say that their forces will not enter Gaza while acknowledging the dangers of operating near the conflict zone.
The pier cost the US government approximately $320 million. During a press conference, Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters that "the construction of the two portions of the JLOTS (Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore) — the floating pier and the Trident pier — are complete and awaiting final movement offshore,".
Israeli soldiers will be in charge of security on the shore, but two US Navy warships, the USS Arleigh Burke and the USS Paul Ignatius, are stationed nearby in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Both ships are destroyers, outfitted with a variety of armaments and capabilities to protect American troops off shore and friends on the beach.
Al-Aqsa Flood operation against Israel
Hamas military group announced on Oct. 7 a military operation called "Al-Aqsa Flood" against Israel which is the biggest offensive in decades.
Palestinian fighters “infiltrated” Israel from the Gaza Strip and captured military bases and took hostages as photos and videos went viral online showing Hamas fighters on vehicles inside Israel and others paragliding into occupation territory.
In response, Israeli armed forces announced targeting Hamas positions inside the Gaza Strip. Thousands were killed, and dozens of thousands of others were injured in the Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip.
The latest statistics by the Ministry of Health in Gaza revealed that the death toll from Israeli brutal pounding on the Gaza Strip since October 7 has soared to 35,233+ people, with more than 79,141+ injuries.
Since then, approximately 85% of Gazans have been displaced, all of whom are suffering from severe food insecurity, and the healthcare system has collapsed. Hundreds of thousands of people lack shelter, and aid trucks are entering the area at a lower rate than before the conflict began.
