Pentagon begins building floating pier to ferry humanitarian aid to Gaza

WASHINGTON — The U.S. military has begun construction of a floating pier three miles from Gaza’s shore, a critical step in increasing humanitarian aid shipments to civilians whose needs have grown increasingly dire after months of war, according to U.S. officials.

The floating pier, 72-feet wide and 270-feet long, will receive shipments of food and other humanitarian aid transported from Cyprus by commercial ships. Troops began building that structure Thursday, Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary said.

Smaller ships will ferry the aid to a pier on Gaza’s shore for delivery inland. Humanitarian aid from the sea is expected to begin flowing in the first week of May. Land routes provide aid more efficiently but have been restricted by Israel over security concerns.

In a briefing with reporters, senior U.S. and military officials described the humanitarian aid effort and security for 1,000 U.S. soldiers and sailors involved in the effort. They spoke on condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the Pentagon.

Gaza’s entire population of 2.2 million people faces food insecurity, a senior U.S. official said. In northern Gaza, more than half the people face “catastrophic levels of food insecurity.” About one-third of the children there show signs of severe malnutrition. In southern Gaza, one in four people face catastrophic food insecurity.

More: Pregnant women in Gaza Strip face starvation, no anesthesia after 6 months of war

Aid workers have been killed delivering food and medicine to Gaza.

Army landing ships, capable of carrying as many as 15 trucks, will ferry the aid from the floating pier to an 1,800-foot causeway that will be built to Gaza’s shore. The military official stressed that U.S. troops will not be involved in driving the aid ashore, or set foot in Gaza to aid the effort.

Instead, U.S. Army engineers have been training Israeli counterparts to anchor the pier on Gaza’s shore, the military official said.

Initially, about 90 trucks per day will deliver humanitarian aid, the military official said. The operation’s full capacity will be 150 trucks per day. By comparison, land routes into Gaza have averaged about 220 trucks per day.

Security for U.S. forces involved the effort will be reviewed daily, the military official said. Israel will dedicate a brigade of thousands of soldiers, naval ships and air force warplanes to protect the aid operation. The Pentagon also has significant firepower, including Navy destroyers and warplanes in the region.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Pentagon builds pier for humanitarian aid to Gaza