Joe Biden orders US military to build aid port to ease Gaza’s hunger crisis
- It will take weeks to build the port, won’t require US military personnel on the ground
- Humanitarian situation in Gaza is dire, with hunger growing among the population
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US President Joe Biden says military will build temporary port to deliver aid to Gaza
US President Joe Biden directed the US military to establish a temporary port on the Gaza coast to ease the humanitarian crisis in the territory sparked by the war between Israel and Hamas, and used his State of the Union speech to call on Israel to let more aid into the territory.
Biden reiterated Israel’s right to defend itself in the wake of Hamas’ October 7 attack but said he was working nonstop for a six-week ceasefire. He said the pier would enable “a massive increase” in the amount of aid getting into Gaza.
“But Israel must also do its part,” Biden said in his speech Thursday night in Washington. “To Israel I say this – humanitarian assistance cannot be a secondary consideration or a bargaining chip.”
The ships will carry food, water, medicine and other supplies, according to US officials, who spoke before Biden’s speech. They said the temporary pier will provide capacity equivalent to hundreds of truckloads of additional assistance each day.
US officials plan for control of the port to transition to a commercially operated facility over time.