US military to build emergency port on Gaza shore to offset hunger crisis

The United States military plans to build an emergency port off the Gaza coast to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza and help alleviate the hunger crisis in the enclave.

The port “can receive large ships carrying food, water medicine, and temporary shelters,” top US officials told reporters in a background briefing.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government welcomed news of the plan, an Israeli official said, while others in the Defense Minster expressed surprise.

US President Joe Biden is expected to announce the initiative during his annual State of the Union speech on his domestic and foreign policy.  

Biden faces pressure to help those in Gaza

It comes as Biden’s re-election campaign for the White House is kicking into full gears and as he is under pressure to do more to help Palestinians in Gaza, particularly in light of United Nations reports of hunger and possible starvation in the enclave.

The Biden administration's decision to jump into hyper gear over humanitarian aid to the enclave was taken as American officials worked with Egypt and Qatar for a hostage deal that would include a six-week pause to the Israel-Hamas war and allow for Palestinians to return to northern Gaza. 

The Biden administration has been blunt in the last week about its frustrations with Israel, charging that the IDF could and should do more to ensure that humanitarian aid is distributed within Gaza, a move that has been complicated by the IDF’s military campaign to destroy Hamas. 

“The aid flowing into Gaza is nowhere near enough and nowhere near fast enough,” US officials told reporters, as they explained that Biden now wanted to take matters into his own hands.

“The President has directed that we look at all options [and] that we do not wait for the Israelis. We are pursuing every channel possible to get assistance into Gaza. So we will do it by air by sea by land however we can get the maximum amount in as possible,” the US officials said.

In his State of the Union address, “The President will make clear … that we all need to do more and that the United States is doing more. We are seeking to use every channel possible to get additional assistance into Gaza,” the officials said.

"This is a moment for American leadership, and we are building a coalition of countries to address this urgent need,” the officials stressed.

They clarified that the plan, which also involved the use of a port in Larnaca, was worked out with Israel, the Cypriots, and other like-minded countries involved in the project.

“Initial shipments will come via Cyprus enabled by the US military and a coalition of partners and allies,” the officials explained.

“The main feature, which is a temporary pier, will provide the capacity for hundreds of additional truckloads of assistance each day. 

The logistical aspect to bring aid into Gaza

“We will coordinate with the Israelis on the security requirements on land and work with the UN and humanitarian NGOs to understand the distribution of assistance within Gaza,” the officials stated. 

They added that the plan did not involve US troops on the ground in Gaza itself, but the officials did not elaborate as to how the US would build an offshore pier and ensure distribution without such a step.

Gaza does not have a port big enough to allow cargo ships to dock, a fact that has complicated the development of maritime routes in the past. Donor countries have been loath to contribute to a permanent port, fearing that it would bombed during a war.

The plan to open a maritime route follows the US military’s initiation last week of an airdrop program of ready-made meals over Gaza. Officials told reporters that together with the UN and Israel, a crossing will be opened directly into the northern part of the enclave through a pilot program that would begin in the coming days. The US will “continue to work to increase the amount of aid flowing through existing border crossings” at Egypt’s Rafah and Israel’s Kerem Shalom.

Israel has also increased the number of trucks traveling into Gaza from Jordan, from 48 trucks a week to 50 or more trucks a day, the officials explained.

“We have and will continue to press Israel to allow more aid into Gaza by land. We believe that land routes can be the most efficient, cost-effective way to get assistance,” the officials said. 

The move is particularly important because the successful distribution of humanitarian assistance in the northern part of the enclave is key to allowing Palestinians to return to that area from the south where they have sought shelter. 

Biden, officials explained, is expected to affirm Israel’s right to self-defense but also stressed that the IDF has a responsibility to protect civilians in Gaza despite the fact that Hamas hides behind and operates among non-combatants.

Hamas has asserted that close to 31,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza war, while Israel has stated that over 11,000 of the fatalities have been combatants.

Biden, in his speech, will mention the “horrific” October 7 attack, the officials said, as they referred to the Hamas-led invasion of southern Israel in which 1,200 people were killed and another 253 were seized as hostages.It was that invasion that sparked the IDF’s military campaign in Gaza to destroy Hamas.

The US President is expected to stress the importance of a hostage deal and the return of the remaining 134 captives in Gaza, of which six have dual Israeli-American citizenship. US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan met on Wednesday with relatives of the hostages, some of whom were invited to attend the State of the Union address.

Yonah Jeremy Bob and Reuters contributed to this report.