US scrambles to build temporary dock for Gaza humanitarian aid

Editor's Note: This page is a summary of news on the Israel-Hamas war for Saturday, March. 9. For the latest news on the conflict in the Middle East, view our live updates file for Sunday, March 10.

U.S. military personnel are scrambling to build a temporary floating dock off Gaza to help distribute food and other aid to Palestinians by way of the sea, a new route for supplies after months of Israel's intense restrictions on aid delivered by land.

President Joe Biden announced the assistance to Gaza during his State of the Union Thursday night, as Army personnel were already pulling plans and equipment together. On Friday, Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, a Pentagon spokesperson, told reporters it would take over 1,000 soldiers weeks to create the structure.

Biden said there will be no U.S. forces in Gaza for the mission, which will likely involve other allies, contractors and aid agencies.

Israeli forces have blocked routes and slowed aid deliveries for inspections over the five months since the war started after Hamas militants killed around 1,200 people in Israel and took 250 people hostage on Oct. 7.

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Israel’s attacks in Gaza have killed about 31,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.

The U.S. has already begun airdrops of aid to Gaza, where the United Nations says nearly all 2.3 million people are struggling to find food, while more than a half-million people face starvation. On Friday, Ryder said the U.S. has delivered over 124,000 meals to date.

Called a Joint Logistics Over the Shore, the temporary dock resembles LEGOs, with 40-foot-long pieces of steel that lock together to form a pier and causeway.

Developments:

• Five children in Gaza were killed by a humanitarian aid drop from an unknown foreign country on Friday, the Gaza health ministry said. On Friday evening, the U.S. Central Command said in a statement that it was not an American airdrop.

• U.S. Central Command said on Saturday that American C-130 airplanes dropped more aid equivalent to more than 41,400 meals and 23,000 bottles of water in northern Gaza.

• At least 20 people have died from complications related to malnutrition in northern Gaza. The deaths come after warnings about the risk of famine during the bombardment and siege of Gaza.

• Sweden has joined European Union and Canada in restoring funding to the U.N. agency responsible for aiding Palestinians. The announcement comes after a pause in aid weeks ago as Israel accused a dozen of the thousands of workers for the U.N. agency of participating in the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks. Several countries, including the U.S., stopped million in funds after the allegations.

US, allies down at least 28 Houthi drones during attack in Red Sea

American and coalition forces shot down at least 28 drones during a Houthi attack on Saturday morning in the Red Sea, according to U.S. Central Command.

In one attack, U.S. and coalition forces downed at least 28 Houthi unmanned aerial vehicles between 4 and 8:20 a.m. local time in the Red Sea, CENTCOM’s statement said. The drones didn’t damage any U.S. or coalition vessels in the attack, and no commercial ships were damaged.

In a statement, Yahya Sarea, a Houthis spokesperson, said the rebel group sent 37 drones to target American destroyers in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

The Houthis, an Iran-backed rebel group in Yemen, have targeted ships in the Red Sea in what militants call opposition to Israel’s war in Gaza. The first fatalities from the Houthis' attacks occurred Wednesday when an anti-ship ballistic missile hit a Liberian-owned cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden, killing three crew members and wounding four others. Houthis claimed responsibility for that attack.

Cyprus becoming hub for aid delivery

The European Union announced on Friday it would open a shipping corridor in the Mediterranean Sea to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza from the island nation of Cyprus.

Cyprus, located about 250 miles from the Gaza Strip, is poised to become a key part of food delivery and other humanitarian assistance to the war-torn Palestinian territory as Israel has limited other aid deliveries by truck. The shipping corridor is established in partnership with the European Commission, the U.S., the United Arab Emirates, Cyprus and others, a joint statement from the countries said on Friday.

On Saturday, the European Commission said a ship with humanitarian assistance planned to leave Cyprus for Gaza as the pilot voyage through the corridor. The vessel from the Spanish aid group, Open Arms, would deliver aid to northern Gaza from World Central Kitchen, the nonprofit headed by celebrity chef José Andrés.

The aid is expected to arrive in two to three days at an undisclosed location in northern Gaza, where cases of hunger and starvation are most severe.

Lior Haiat, a spokesperson for the Israeli foreign affairs ministry, said on social media that Israel welcomed the maritime aid, but cautioned it would need security checks.

A World Central Kitchen news release said it had delivered over 32 million meals to date, via trucks and airdrops. The shipping corridor allows the charity group to increase the amount of aid it delivers, the news release said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Israel, Hamas war updates: US scrambles to build dock for Gaza aid