The US has begun construction of a jetty on the Gaza Strip

The US is building a temporary port for aid ships off the coast of the Gaza Strip. It should be ready by early May. Famine warnings are now getting louder in Gaza.

According to US reports, construction of a temporary port on the Gaza Strip is progressing – and first aid supplies could soon be delivered through the temporary facility. The US military has begun operations and is deploying naval vessels, Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder said.

The port is intended to bring humanitarian aid to Gaza quickly. Famine warnings have become increasingly loud in recent weeks. According to US officials, nearly 30 percent of children in the north of the Gaza Strip are malnourished, while nearly a quarter of the population in the south face “catastrophic food insecurity.”

How a Temporary Port Works

In particular, it should work to ensure that food, water and medicine arrive in Cyprus by air or sea. According to the US government, supplies will be inspected there and commercial ships will transport them to a floating facility in Gaza. The platform is several kilometers from the coast.

From there, the goods will be transported by small vessels to a temporary floating jetty in the Gaza Strip. It is several hundred meters long and ends at the beach in the Gaza Strip.

The port should be operational by early May

According to the Pentagon, the facility is designed so that no US soldiers can enter Gaza. A “third party” is involved here. Aid supplies will be unloaded at a “safe place” near a temporary port in the Gaza Strip. American stockists will eventually pick up and deliver the goods.

The port should be operational by early May. Initially it should be the equivalent of 90 truckloads a day, then up to 150 when fully operational, Ryder said, adding that he would continue to work with the international community to bring aid supplies to the Gaza Strip.

The US government announced the plan in early March. Planning and preparations for this have been going on for weeks. Recently, however, there have been recurring security concerns.

Israel's military has now announced that it will provide logistical and security support for the US initiative, including the construction of floating vessels.

An attack on a construction site will have no impact on the project

According to Israeli reports, it was previously known that Palestinian militants fired mortar bombs at a construction site for a humanitarian project in the north of the Gaza Strip during the visit of UN staff. According to Israeli media, no one was injured.

When asked, Ryder said some bombs were thrown where relief supplies were supposed to arrive. This had no impact on construction plans and occurred before the US military began construction.