Pier that should prevent mass starvation in Gaza, almost ready: ‘Every day meal for everyone’ | RTL News

First, the relief supplies – consisting of water, food, medicine and tents – are brought to Cyprus. Israel checks the goods there. The country is wary that Hamas will use the cargo to continue the war.

From Cyprus, the mostly commercial ships carrying relief goods will moor more than 400 kilometers away on a large floating platform. It is located about five kilometers off the coast of Gaza. The coast itself is too shallow there for large ships to moor.

This temporary harbor consists largely of floating pontoons. About a thousand Americans are currently working on clicking those pontoons together. On the platform, the goods are then loaded into trucks, which are boarded on smaller ships.

These ships take the trucks to a floating pier of more than 500 meters long. Trucks from a third party are ready there to bring the relief goods ashore. A Pentagon spokesperson declined to say which party that is to The New York Times.

“I don’t think the operation is very complex,” says off-duty Vice Admiral Ben Bekkering (Clingendael Institute). “The Americans have a ready-made system for this. It is more a matter of getting all those heavy materials there. And it is of course an impressive example of road and hydraulic engineering.” He also emphasizes the enormous number of pontoons required for this operation.

Dates

According to Bekkering, the Americans have had experience with such operations since the Second World War. “There is no other country within NATO that has units specially trained for such an operation with equipment specifically designed for this purpose.”

The Israelis are in control at the point where the aid arrives on the beach. America has promised not to set foot on Palestinian soil. This is to prevent the US from becoming entangled in a foreign conflict.

Bekkering: “I can imagine that agreements have been made, such as with the Israelis about the protection of the site and with aid organizations for distribution. You are not going to embark on this adventure if there are no agreements with the various parties.”

A little further on there are Palestinian drivers hired by the UN to take the goods to distribution points. Finally, aid organizations are responsible for distributing aid to the population.

Storm

If all goes well, the maritime corridor could start early next week, according to Politico. Bekkering foresees two risks when the harbor and pier are in operation. The first problem could be the weather. “It is conceivable that in the event of a storm the operation may have to be stopped to bring the items ashore.”

“And the second risk is that there are many parties with their own agenda. Control over the actions of all parties then seems impossible. What happens if someone fires a grenade or mortar?” Last week there was another mortar attack at the site where the pier is being built. The damage was limited. There are signals that Hamas is behind it, although this cannot yet be said with certainty.

It is expected that the aid will be equivalent to 90 trucks full per day. U.S. officials expect that number could rise to 150 trucks. According to the UN, around 250 trucks now enter the Gaza Strip by road every day.

Extra help for the Palestinians is desperately needed. 2.3 million Gazans are now said to be malnourished. The aim is to deliver two million meals per day via the maritime corridor, slightly less than one meal per inhabitant. This is desperately needed because, according to the UN, famine is very close.

State of the Union

US President Biden announced the temporary port in March during his State of The Union speech. “The White House put pressure on Israel for months and was very frustrated that Israel did not allow more aid,” said America correspondent Erik Mouthaan.

Because the air drops did not make much of an impact and Israel did not increase the number of trucks allowed through, the plan for the port was developed. According to Mouthaan, this project also shows American powerlessness. “Apparently America can’t get Israel to let more trucks through.”

Biden is receiving criticism from all sides. Mouthaan: “He is under great pressure within his own party. The progressive section in particular is angry that the White House is sending money and weapons.”

For example, a Muslim interest group previously accused Biden of ‘https://twitter.com/CAIRNational/status/1765942421194473820?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1765942421194473820%7Ctwgr%5E3ab53ada7b2f9d6813eeac646194b351b204fece%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.aljazeera.com%2Fnews%2Fliveblog%2F2024%2F3%2F7%2Fstate-of-the-union-2024-live-gaza-trump-rematch-loom-over-bidens-address‘ goes to work. Despite criticism of the Israeli government, the White House maintains that Hamas must be defeated and that Israel must be able to defend itself.

Operation costs

There is also a lot of criticism from the Republican side, says Mouthaan. “Mainly because of the high costs of the entire operation.” Initially, these were estimated at $180 million. The amount has now risen to $320 million. And then there is also the question of how long the port will be in operation. This means three months.

“I really hope this will work,” Bekkering concludes. “It is very necessary.”