Gaza War: US artificial port completed to facilitate humanitarian aid

This will facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid. The US military has completed construction of a temporary artificial port in Gaza to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid, but its installation is currently impossible due to weather conditions, the Pentagon said on Tuesday.

Faced with Israel’s blocking of aid delivery by land to the besieged Palestinian territory, which is in the grip of a humanitarian catastrophe, US President Joe Biden announced the creation of this temporary structure in early March. The cost of constructing the port is expected to be about $320 million.

“As of today, construction of two parts of the artificial port (…) has been completed” and now needs to be moved to its final location, Sabrina Singh, Pentagon deputy press secretary, told the press. “Today there are still strong winds and strong waves, creating dangerous conditions for the movement of the elements” from the port, she said.

The construction site was moved to Ashdod due to bad weather last week. When weather permits, the port will be connected to the Gaza coast by Israeli soldiers to avoid the presence of American troops on the ground.

Checkpoints closed by Israel

The United States found Israel’s closure of two important humanitarian entry points into Gaza, Rafah and Kerem Shalom, “unacceptable,” a White House official said Tuesday. “Closed crossing points must reopen, it is unacceptable that they are closed,” said Karine Jean-Pierre, adding that the Kerem Shalom entry point should reopen on Wednesday.

The war erupted on October 7 when Hamas commandos infiltrating from the Gaza Strip carried out an attack in southern Israel that killed more than 1,170 people, mostly civilians. In response, Israel launched an offensive in the Palestinian territory that has so far killed 34,789 people, mostly civilians, according to the Hamas Health Ministry, which rules the Gaza Strip.