By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
JERUSALEM/GAZA CITY (Worthy News) – The first shipment of humanitarian aid has arrived in Gaza via a temporary floating pier anchored to a beach of the war-torn enclave, the U.S. and Israeli military confirmed Friday.
The United States Central Command said aid trucks had begun moving ashore at about 09:00 a.m. local time, and U.S. allies were also involved in the operation.
Britain’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said 8,400 plastic shelters had been delivered.
About 500 tonnes of British aid, including tents, hygiene kits, and forklift trucks, were due to reach Gaza via the pier, built by American forces in the coming weeks. Sunak said the maritime route was “not the only answer” to the humanitarian crisis in the enclave.
The shipment is the first in an operation that American military officials anticipate could scale up to 150 truckloads a day.
The Israel Defense Forces and the Israeli Defense Ministry confirmed that over “300 pallets of supplies” had been transferred via the pier.
In Washington, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby at the White House said the pallets were in the initial delivery and “handed over to the United Nations,” preparing it for distribution.
HUNDREDS OF TONS
Hundreds of tons of aid arrived in Cyprus, where screening takes place before being loaded onto ships for delivery to the pier.
Earlier, USAID response director Dan Dieckhaus said construction of the pier – known as a Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore (JLOTS) system – is complete.
Officially, no American soldiers will enter the Gaza Strip while operating the pier throughout this mission, the U.S. Central Command stressed.
The operation came while Israel’s military pressed on the southern city of Rafah, where it believes the last four battalions of Hamas are based.
The U.S. has urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to invade Rafah as more than a million people sought shelter there.
Netanyahu said his country had no other choice than to go into Rafah to destroy Hamas after it attacked Israel on October 7, killing as many as 1,200 people and kidnapping hundreds more.
Israel has denied it is responsible for hunger due to its war against Hamas, saying “the terror group” is responsible as it allegedly steals aid or sells it at high prices at markets.
Copyright 1999-2024 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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