Construction of the US military port intended to provide humanitarian assistance to Gaza is expected to take up to two months and require more than 1,000 US military personnel to complete, the Pentagon said.
At a news conference Friday, press secretary Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder told reporters that port would accept at least 1,000 U.S. forces.
“We anticipate that more than 1,000 U.S. forces will be needed to participate in building this capability,” Ryder said.
“As for the deadline, several weeks, probably up to 60 days, to deploy the forces and build the causeway and the pier,” he said.
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Smoke rises from damaged residential buildings in Khan Yunis, seen from the city of Rafah following the January 11, 2024 Israeli strikes in Rafah, Gaza. (Abed Rahim Khatib/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Ryder said the Department of Defense is immediately beginning construction of the port.
“But again, we're starting right away, in terms of getting things going on that front,” Ryder said.
The spokesperson explained that the maritime dock ordered by President Biden will allow the arrival of humanitarian aid to Gaza to be accelerated.
“Simply put, they will establish a temporary offshore maritime dock that will allow transport vessels to transfer cargo to smaller vessels to transport and unload cargo to a temporary causeway for the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza,” Ryder said.
Fishing boats in Gaza port at sunset, Gaza, November 2021. Photo: Majdi Fathi/TPS (Majdi Fathi/TPS)
Ryder emphasized that there would be no troops on the ground.
“The concept that is being planned involves the presence of U.S. military personnel on military vessels on the high seas, but does not require U.S. military personnel to disembark,” Ryder explained, saying the White House is coordinating with like-minded nations to determine who will operate the dock and distribute aid in Gaza.
Cyprus has been highlighted as one of the places where aid could be loaded onto ships and then taken to the floating dock, Ryder said.
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The sea pier is expected to provide more than two million meals to the people of Gaza when fully operational.
“Once operational, the actual amount of aid delivered will depend on many variables and will likely increase over time,” Ryder said. “However, we hope that deliveries through JLOTS can provide more than two million meals a day to Gazans.”
President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill, Thursday, March 7, 2024, in Washington. Standing to the left is Vice President Kamala Harris and seated to the right is House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. (Shawn Thew/Pool via AP)
President Biden announced Thursday during his state of the union He announced that the US military will build a port in Gaza.
The development was revealed Thursday morning by senior administration officials discussing humanitarian aid for Hamas-controlled territory.
“Tonight in the speech, the president will announce that he will order the US military to lead an emergency mission to establish a port in the Mediterranean, off the coast of Gaza, that can receive large ships carrying food, water, medicine and shelter temporary,” the official said. saying.
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“This port, whose main feature is a temporary dock, will have capacity for hundreds of additional relief trucks each day,” added a second official. “We will coordinate with the Israelis on ground security requirements and work with the UN and humanitarian NGOs. Understanding the distribution of assistance within Gaza and Israeli settlements will come through Cyprus, enabled by the US military and a coalition of partners and allies”.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Pentagon for comment.
