The U.S. military will seek to construct a port on the coast of Gaza on the Mediterranean Sea to help get more humanitarian aid in and try to alleviate a dire situation in the coastal strip.
President Biden is expected to formally announce at the State of the Union address Thursday night that he is directing the military to build the port.
The move comes after Israel has been criticized for not allowing enough aid into Gaza while it fights a major war against Palestinian militant group Hamas.
The U.S. began air-dropping humanitarian aid in last week, but the situation remains critical as human rights groups and emergency responders on the ground warn of famine.
“We know the aid flowing into Gaza is nowhere near enough and nowhere near fast enough,” said a senior Biden administration official.
The new port could receive large shipments of food, water, medicine and other critical supplies, but the project may take weeks to establish.
Washington will not put boots on the ground, instead they will work offshore to get the aid in.
The U.S. will also work with the United Nations and humanitarian relief organizations, along with Israel.
The initial shipments are expected to come through the Mediterranean Sea via the island of Cyprus.
Biden has tried to do a balancing act in the war, supporting Israel but also pushing them to do more to protect civilians and get more aid into the strip.
More than 30,000 Palestinians have died in the war so far, leading to growing calls for a ceasefire in Washington.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said he welcomed the decision to build a port for aid but criticized the U.S. for supporting Israel while it blocks aid access.
“A U.S. ally is using U.S. weapons and equipment to block the delivery of U.S. humanitarian aid,” Sanders said, describing it as an “incredible” situation.
“And now, American taxpayers have to pay even more to build a port to get aid into starving people, because Israel won’t let it be driven safely and efficiently across the border.”
Read the full report at TheHill.com.
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