The departure of four ships loaded with construction materials and roughly 100 U.S. troops from Virginia’s Joint Base Langley-Eustis marks the beginning of a mission to build a temporary pier on the coast of the war-torn Gaza Strip. John Williams’ “Imperial March” played over one ship’s loudspeakers as the vessels set sail.
This mission, announced by President Joe Biden during his State of the Union address, aims to increase the flow of humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians in Gaza.
US Ship to Gaza (Credits: Bloomberg)
The construction of the temporary pier is expected to facilitate the delivery of nearly 2 million meals per day to address the dire humanitarian crisis in the region.
However, concerns have been raised about the safety of American troops involved in the operation and the potential for escalation of tensions in the already volatile situation.
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The Gaza Strip has been embroiled in conflict for five months, leading to a severe humanitarian crisis. The United Nations warned in February that famine was imminent in the region without significant changes, and reports from the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry indicated that at least 20 people had died of starvation.
Although Israel has allowed aid into Gaza, there have been challenges in distributing supplies to civilians. In late February, a convoy of trucks attempting to deliver materials in northern Gaza resulted in dozens of Palestinian deaths.
Israel claimed that the majority of casualties were due to a stampede or being run over by fleeing aid truck drivers, while Hamas officials accused Israeli soldiers of opening fire on the crowd.
