President Joe Biden will announce plans for the U.S. military to construct a port in Gaza to facilitate deliveries of humanitarian aid at his State of the Union speech Thursday night, according to media reports.
The U.S. military will not place American troops on the ground to construct the new pier allowing a larger volume of food, medical supplies and other items to reach the people in Gaza, The Associated Press reported, citing administration officials speaking on condition of anonymity to preview the announcement. The White House has taken unusual steps to circumvent its ally’s position on aid to Gaza even as it continues to support Israel’s fight against the Hamas terrorist organization embedded in Gaza.
The U.S. military has “unique capabilities” and can accomplish things from “just offshore,” one official said, according to the AP. (RELATED: ‘We Are All Nervous’: Dems See SOTU As Make-Or-Break Moment For Biden)
“We’re not planning for this to be an operation that would require U.S. boots on the ground,” another official said, according to Politico.
Biden announced Friday the military would begin conducting airdrops of humanitarian aid into Gaza, acknowledging the existing flow of aid into Gaza is insufficient to remediate the worsening crisis as Palestinians struggle to access food, water and medical supplies. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) has executed three airdrops since, with the latest combined airdrop conducted alongside Jordanian forced announced on Thursday.
At the same time, administration officials raised the possibility of a “maritime corridor” to provide aid. Airdrops can only provide between just one and four truckloads of supplies, while up to 250 trucks are already rolling into Gaza each day, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The United Nations warned last week that a quarter of Gaza’s population, roughly 576,000 people, are coming close to experiencing famine, the WSJ reported.
CENTCOM commander Gen. Erik Kurilla told Congress he had briefed administration officials on the prospect of creating such a corridor, according to the AP.
Video of the airdrop of Humanitarian Assistance into Gaza on March 5th. pic.twitter.com/60FsZn2Wfn
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 5, 2024
On Thursday, U.S. C-130 transport aircraft dropped over 38,000 meals into Norther Gaza “to enable civilian access to critical aid,” CENTCOM said in a statement.
The Pentagon’s “humanitarian airdrops contribute to ongoing U.S. and partner-nation government efforts to alleviate human suffering. These airdrops are part of a sustained effort and we continue to plan follow on aerial deliveries,” the statement read.
“In coordination with the U.S. Interagency and international partners, DoD is actively reviewing options for a maritime corridor for humanitarian assistance into Gaza, including commercial and contracted options,” a defense spokesperson told the Daily Caller News Foundation. The official declined to provide further details.
The White House did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.
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