US setting up temporary port for Gaza humanitarian aid

By Mark Pattison

A long-standing Israeli naval blockade has kept most aid from reaching Gaza. Humanitarian efforts to bring food to Palestinian civilians has been stymied. Two of the most notable events was February’s tragedy when more than one hundred Palestinians died at a food distribution site – some by Israeli Defense Force bullets, others crushed to death in the stampede to escape the gunfire. Last week, seven relief workers with World Central Kitchen were killed by an Israeli strike on their vehicles.

Both events resulted in worldwide condemnation of the Israeli government. U.S. President Joe Biden has criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu more severely as the war has dragged on, at one point calling Israeli conduct in the war “over the top.” The United Nations Security Council also approved a resolution in March calling for a cease-fire in Gaza, which would – at least in theory – allow food to be brought to desperately hungry civilians.

Reminiscent of the Marshall Plan following World War II, when food was dropped by parachute from planes to keep residents in Soviet-controlled Eastern Europe from starving, the military in some countries, including neighboring Jordan, are adopting the same tactic. But a cargo plane full of food just doesn’t have the same capacity as a convoy of trucks.

The United States is constructing a pier that would enable boats to bring food to Gaza, but that pier is not yet complete. And the clock is ticking.