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Reuters

US troops have begun construction of a maritime pier off the coast of Gaza that aims to speed the flow of humanitarian aid into the enclave when it becomes operational in May, the Pentagon said.
US President Joe Biden announced the pier in March as aid officials implored Israel to ease access for relief supplies into Gaza over land routes.
Whether the pier will ultimately succeed in boosting humanitarian aid is unclear, as international officials warn of the risk of famine in northern Gaza.
Israel’s six-month-long military campaign against Hamas has devastated the tiny Gaza Strip and plunged its 2.3 million people into a humanitarian catastrophe.

The construction of the new port appears to have been moving quickly over the last two weeks, according to satellite images analysed by Associated Press.
The port sits just southwest of Gaza City, which once was the territory’s most-populous area before the Israeli ground offensive rolled through, pushing over 1 million people south toward the town of Rafah on the Egyptian border.
A senior Biden administration official, speaking to reporters on condition of anonymity, said humanitarian aid coming off the pier will need to pass through Israeli checkpoints on land.
That is despite the aid having already been inspected by Israel in Cyprus prior to being shipped to Gaza. Israel wants to prevent any aid getting to Hamas fighters that boosts their war effort.
The prospect of checkpoints raises questions about possible delays even after aid reaches shore. The United Nations has long complained of obstacles to getting aid in and distributing it throughout Gaza.
“I can confirm that US military vessels, to include the USNS Benavidez, have begun to construct the initial stages of the temporary pier and causeway at sea,” Pentagon spokesperson Major General Patrick Ryder told reporters on Thursday.
Concerns about the risk to American troops getting caught up in the Israel-Gaza war were underscored on Thursday as news emerged of a mortar attack near the area where the pier will eventually touch ground.
No US forces were present, however, and Biden has ordered US forces to not step foot on the Gaza shore.
The pier will initially handle 90 trucks a day, but that number could go up to 150 trucks daily when it is fully operational. The United Nations said this week that the daily average number of trucks entering Gaza during April was 200 and that there had been a peak on Monday of 316.
The official added that about 1,000 US troops would support the military effort, including in coordination cells in Cyprus and Israel.
A third party will be driving trucks down the pier onto the beach, the official added.
The northern Gaza Strip is still heading toward a famine, the deputy UN food chief said on Thursday, appealing for a greater volume of aid and for Israel to allow direct access from its southern Ashdod port to the Erez crossing.
In a statement, the Israeli military said it would provide security and logistics support for the pier.
An Israeli military brigade, which includes thousands of soldiers, along with Israeli Navy ships and Air Force would work to protect US troops who are setting up the pier.
Ryder said the Pentagon was tracking some type of mortar attack in Gaza that caused minimal damage in the marshalling area for the pier. But he added that US forces had not started moving anything to that area yet and there were no US forces on the ground.
Additional reporting by Associated Press


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Israel-Gaza war

US military begins construction of Gaza aid pier

A beach in Deir al Balah, Gaza Strip. The US military has begun construction on a pier meant to boost deliveries of aid. Photo: AP

This satellite picture shows the construction of the new aid port near Gaza City. Photo: Planet Labs PBC via AP

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A woman being arrested at a pro-Palestinian protest at the University of Texas. Photo: Austin American-Statesman via AP

US House Speaker Mike Johnson during a visit to Columbia University in New York. Photo: AFP

Texas state troopers try to break up a pro-Palestinian protest at the University of Texas. Photo: Austin American-Statesman via AP

Police and protesters at University of Southern California’s Alumni Park. Photo: Reuters

In 1970, demonstrations at Kent State University in Ohio were met with deadly force from the National Guard. File photo: AP

Israel says Rafah assault looms, as massive Gaza air strikes end weeks of relative calm

Palestinians walk past the rubble of residential buildings destroyed by Israeli strikes in the northern Gaza Strip on Monday. Photo: Reuters

Children sit in a car boot in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, on Wednesday. Photo: Reuters

Health workers unearth bodies found at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on Tuesday. Photo: AFP

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Israeli-American man identified as Hersh Goldberg-Polin in the video. Photo: Hamas Media via AFP 

The site of the Nova music festival in southern Israel which was attacked by Hamas on October 7. File photo: AP

Rachel Goldberg, centre, mother of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, along with other families of hostages in Gaza, outside the White House. Photo: AP

Friends and supporters of Hersh Goldberg-Polin protest outside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s residence in Jerusalem. Photo: AP

News

World

Middle East

The jetty, part of an effort to avert famine in war-torn Gaza, is set to become operational next month
Initial construction has started at sea, and there are no US forces on the ground, Pentagon spokesman says


The jetty, part of an effort to avert famine in the Palestinian enclave amid Israel’s campaign against Hamas, is set to become operational next month.
