WASHINGTON. President Joe Biden is set to announce on Thursday that he will instruct the U.S. military to establish a temporary port off the coast of Gaza, aiming to provide a sea route for crucial aid to desperate Palestinian civilians trapped in the Israel-Hamas conflict, senior U.S. administration officials disclosed.
The move signifies an increased involvement of the United States in the conflict and the escalating tensions in the region. It also demonstrates the Biden administration’s resorting to an unconventional method to deliver aid to Gaza’s 2.3 million civilians, given the restrictions imposed by U.S. ally Israel on overland aid deliveries.
As efforts to reach a cease-fire before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which begins in the coming days, appeared to stall, Hamas announced on Thursday that its delegation had left Cairo, where talks were taking place. The proposed cease-fire would have entailed a significant infusion of aid into Gaza.
The deteriorating humanitarian situation across Gaza during five months of conflict and Israel’s tight control of land borders have pushed many people to seek food for survival and have begun resulting in deaths from malnutrition. In a meeting regarding the aid delivery crisis with Israel’s ambassador Michael Herzog, the U.S. international development director, Samantha Power, cautioned that blockaded Gaza “faced a real risk of famine,” her office stated on Thursday.
The situation is particularly dire in the north, where many of the estimated 300,000 residents have been reduced to consuming animal fodder to survive. The UN reports that one in six children under the age of two in the north now suffers from acute malnutrition.
The planned operation, according to U.S. officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to preview Biden’s announcement, will not require American troops on the ground to construct the pier intended to facilitate more shipments of food, medicine, and other essential items from a port in the Mediterranean island country of Cyprus. They provided few other details, including how many U.S. troops would participate.
One of the options being considered is for the military to provide a floating pier called a JLOTS, or Joint Logistics-Over-the-Shore, another U.S. official said on the condition of anonymity. The large floating pier allows supplies to be delivered without the need for a fixed port in place, thereby avoiding the necessity of having troops on a dock on shore. Ships can sail to the pier, which is secured by anchors, and dock there.
Aid moving into the pier would likely be transported by commercial ship or contracted vessel, the official said.
Defense Department spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder stated in a Thursday statement that U.S. officials and international partners were exploring options, including using commercial companies and contractors.
Officials from the U.S., Europe, Israel, and the Middle East have been engaged in discussions and preparations for months on the possibility of opening a maritime sea route. In November, Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides offered the use of his country’s port in Larnaca for aid deliveries to the Palestinian enclave, a 230-mile (370-kilometer) journey from Cyprus.
European Union Commission Chief Ursula von der Leyen planned to visit Larnaca on Friday to inspect installations.
Cyprus invited authorities from Israel, the U.S., and other European countries early on to join Cypriot agents in vetting all shipments to ensure nothing could be used by Hamas against Israel.
Pressure has mounted on the Biden administration following reports last week from Gaza health officials that more than 100 people were killed during an attempted aid delivery to the isolated north. Israel stated its forces fired warning shots when the crowd began moving toward them. Witnesses and medical workers informed The Associated Press that most of those injured were shot when Israeli forces fired into the crowds of hungry people.
Efforts for a six-week cease-fire, which would have seen Hamas release some Israeli hostages and Israel release some Palestinian prisoners while aid groups gained access to Gaza, had been anticipated to mitigate some of the immediate crisis. Palestinian militants are believed to be holding around 100 hostages and the remains of 30 others captured during Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack.
Egyptian officials stated Hamas has agreed to the main terms of such an agreement as a first stage but seeks commitments that it will lead to an eventual more permanent cease-fire. They said Israel prefers to restrict the negotiations to the more limited agreement.
Hamas spokesman Jihad Taha said Israel “refuses to commit to and give guarantees regarding the cease-fire, the return of the displaced, and withdrawal from the areas of its incursion.” However, he stated that the talks were still ongoing and would resume next week. There was no immediate comment from Israel.
