Gaza floating pier: Difference between revisions
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Attempts to bring in humanitarian aid by water into Gaza has been attempted multiple times, and has end with intervention by the [[Israel Defense Forces|Israeli military]]. In May 2010 the IDF participated in a military operation dubbed the [[Gaza flotilla raid]] against six civilian ships in [[international waters]], resulting in contested events, nine passengers of the flotilla killed and thirty passengers and 10 IDF troops wounded.<ref>Finkelstein, N. (2021). Gaza: An Inquest Into Its Martyrdom. United States: University of California Press. pp. 146 "The only witnesses able to contest the official Israeli account had been impris- oned and their photographic evidence confiscated."</ref> In July 2011, a [[Freedom Flotilla II|second flotilla]] was planned by 22 NGOs to attempt to break the maritime blockade but did not take place.<ref>{{cite news |date=1 July 2011 |title=Flotilla delayed until next week |url=http://www.jewishjournal.com/israel/article/flotilla_delayed_until_next_week_20110701/ |access-date=2 July 2011 |work=Jewish Journal |publisher=Jewish Telegraphic Agency}}</ref> In the summer of 2015, a [[Freedom Flotilla III|third flotilla]] was planned to break the blockade and set out from Sweden with multiple stops before being intercepted by the Israeli military in international waters and participants detained.<ref>{{cite news |date=June 29, 2015 |title=Israeli Navy Peacefully Intercepts Gaza-Bound Vessel |url=https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/06/29/world/middleeast/ap-ml-israel-gaza.html?_r=0 |work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=IDF violence against passangers [sic] of Ship to Gaza boat Marianne |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3GficMbVlQ |access-date=9 July 2015 |website=YouTube}}</ref> |
Attempts to bring in humanitarian aid by water into Gaza has been attempted multiple times, and has end with intervention by the [[Israel Defense Forces|Israeli military]]. In May 2010 the IDF participated in a military operation dubbed the [[Gaza flotilla raid]] against six civilian ships in [[international waters]], resulting in contested events, nine passengers of the flotilla killed and thirty passengers and 10 IDF troops wounded.<ref>Finkelstein, N. (2021). Gaza: An Inquest Into Its Martyrdom. United States: University of California Press. pp. 146 "The only witnesses able to contest the official Israeli account had been impris- oned and their photographic evidence confiscated."</ref> In July 2011, a [[Freedom Flotilla II|second flotilla]] was planned by 22 NGOs to attempt to break the maritime blockade but did not take place.<ref>{{cite news |date=1 July 2011 |title=Flotilla delayed until next week |url=http://www.jewishjournal.com/israel/article/flotilla_delayed_until_next_week_20110701/ |access-date=2 July 2011 |work=Jewish Journal |publisher=Jewish Telegraphic Agency}}</ref> In the summer of 2015, a [[Freedom Flotilla III|third flotilla]] was planned to break the blockade and set out from Sweden with multiple stops before being intercepted by the Israeli military in international waters and participants detained.<ref>{{cite news |date=June 29, 2015 |title=Israeli Navy Peacefully Intercepts Gaza-Bound Vessel |url=https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/06/29/world/middleeast/ap-ml-israel-gaza.html?_r=0 |work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=IDF violence against passangers [sic] of Ship to Gaza boat Marianne |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3GficMbVlQ |access-date=9 July 2015 |website=YouTube}}</ref> |
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The Gaza Strip is |
The Gaza Strip is experiencing a [[humanitarian crisis]] as a result of the [[Israel–Hamas war]] which began after the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October 2023.<ref name="spiraling humanitarian crisis">{{cite web |last1=Ioanes |first1=Ellen |date=14 October 2023 |title=Gaza's spiraling humanitarian crisis, explained |url=https://www.vox.com/2023/10/14/23917260/israel-hamas-war-gaza-humanitarian-crisis |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231014224531/https://www.vox.com/2023/10/14/23917260/israel-hamas-war-gaza-humanitarian-crisis |archive-date=14 October 2023 |access-date=16 October 2023 |work=[[Vox (website)|Vox]]}}</ref><ref name="humanitarian catastrophe">{{cite news |last1=Marsi |first1=Federica |date=14 October 2023 |title=Gaza doctors warn of a humanitarian catastrophe after Israeli attacks |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/14/supplies-exhausted-doctors-exhausted-in-gaza-catastrophe-looms-large |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231014174402/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/14/supplies-exhausted-doctors-exhausted-in-gaza-catastrophe-looms-large |archive-date=14 October 2023 |access-date=25 October 2023 |publisher=[[Al Jazeera English|Al Jazeera]]}}</ref> The crisis includes both a [[Gaza Strip famine|famine]] and a [[Timeline of the Gaza Strip healthcare collapse|healthcare collapse]]. At the start of the [[war]], Israel tightened its [[Blockade of the Gaza Strip|blockade on the Gaza Strip]] on [[2023 Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip|9 October 2023]], with Israel's Defense Minister [[Yoav Gallant]] announced a "total blockade",<ref name="aljazeera 2023-10-09">{{Cite news |date=9 October 2023 |title=Israel announces 'total' blockade on Gaza |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/9/israel-announces-total-blockade-on-gaza |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231009105304/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/9/israel-announces-total-blockade-on-gaza |archive-date=9 October 2023 |access-date=9 October 2023 |work=[[Al Jazeera English|Al Jazeera]] |language=en}}</ref> blocking the entry of food, water, medicine, fuel and electricity.<ref name="bbc">{{cite news |date=9 October 2023 |title=Gaza 'soon without fuel, medicine and food' |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-67051292 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231009192127/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-67051292 |archive-date=9 October 2023 |access-date=9 October 2023 |work=[[BBC News]]}}</ref> This has resulted in significant shortages of fuel, food, medication, water, and essential medical supplies.<ref name="spiraling humanitarian crisis" /><ref>{{cite web |last1=Gottbrath |first1=Laurin-Whitney |title=Gaza "fast becoming hell hole" on "brink of collapse" amid Israel strikes: UN |url=https://www.axios.com/2023/10/14/gaza-humanitarian-crisis-hamas-israel-war-death-toll |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231016101000/https://www.axios.com/2023/10/14/gaza-humanitarian-crisis-hamas-israel-war-death-toll |archive-date=16 October 2023 |access-date=16 October 2023 |work=[[Axios (website)|Axios]]}}</ref> |
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In January 2024, Israeli authorities blocked 56% of humanitarian aid to northern Gaza. |
In January 2024, Israeli authorities blocked 56% of humanitarian aid to northern Gaza.<ref>{{cite news |date=10 February 2024 |title=Israel appears to be in breach of ICJ orders on Gaza, senior UN official says |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/feb/10/israel-appears-to-be-in-breach-of-icj-orders-on-gaza-senior-un-official-says |work=The Guardian}}</ref> On 9 February 2024, [[UNRWA]]'s director [[Philippe Lazzarini]] reported that Israel had blocked food for 1.1 million Palestinians in Gaza.<ref>{{cite news |last=Frankel |first=Julia |date=9 February 2024 |title=Israel is holding up food for 1.1 million Palestinians in Gaza, the main UN aid agency there says |url=https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-gaza-unwra-bank-aid-4ed5e0652dd81b875055679a01a19371 |work=Associated Press}}</ref> |
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==Outline plan== |
==Outline plan== |
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==Temporary interim jetty== |
==Temporary interim jetty== |
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{{See also|World Central Kitchen#Operation Safeena}} |
{{See also|World Central Kitchen#Operation Safeena}} |
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On March 12, prior to construction of the U.S. pier, a barge "testing" the delivery route, operated by Spanish charity [[Proactiva Open Arms]] and loaded with 200 tons of food from [[World Central Kitchen]], left the port of [[Larnaca]] in Cyprus for Gaza.<ref>{{cite news |title=Aid ship testing sea corridor from Cyprus to Gaza sets sail |publisher=Al Jazeera |date=March 12, 2024 |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/3/12/first-aid-ship-to-gaza-leaves-cyprus-port}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=First aid ship to Gaza leaves Cyprus port in pilot project |date=March 12, 2024 |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/first-aid-ship-gaza-leaves-cyprus-port-pilot-project-2024-03-12/}}</ref> A jetty for unloading the barge was built at a location that was initially "not disclosed for security reasons",<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=El Pais |language=English |title=Operation Safeena: The thousand and one obstacles to bringing aid to Gaza by sea |author1-first=Luis |author1-last=de Vega |author2-first=Lola|author2-last=Hierro |date=March 13, 2024 |url=https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-03-13/operation-safeena-the-thousand-and-one-obstacles-to-bringing-aid-to-gaza-by-sea.html |quote=Another problem was how to unload the aid in Gaza when there are no working ports left. For this reason, WCK has been building a jetty for weeks with rubble and the remains of bombed buildings and with some cranes and construction machines that still work. Its location has not been disclosed for security reasons.}}</ref> but later discerned to be south of Gaza City ({{coord|31.497|N|34.408|E|name=Gaza WCK jetty}}) by journalists using commercial satellite imagery or talking to local construction workers.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=[[The Times of Israel]]|title=Aid from Cyprus to enter Gaza via new pier; EU warns of pockets of famine|first=Emanuel|last=Fabian|date=March 14, 2024|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/aid-from-cyprus-to-enter-gaza-via-idf-built-pier-eu-warns-of-pockets-of-famine/}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Preparations for maritime dock for aid shipments to Gaza continue – Large vehicles transporting cement blocks from Khan Younis port to Gaza City to build temporary floating dock|date=March 14, 2024|newspaper=[[Yeni Şafak]]|url=https://www.yenisafak.com/en/news/preparations-for-maritime-dock-for-aid-shipments-to-gaza-continue-3679406}}</ref> The Cyprus foreign minister, [[Constantinos Kombos]], said on March 13 that the US pier and the food route out of Larnaca would become a single operation.<ref>{{cite news|title=Cyprus says its maritime aid corridor will utilize US-built Gaza pier |agency=Associated Press |via=Times of Israel |date=March 13, 2024 |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/cyprus-says-its-maritime-aid-corridor-will-utilize-us-built-gaza-pier/ |quote=Cyprus' foreign minister says a US initiative to build a pier off Gaza for large-scale aid deliveries to the territory by sea will eventually be folded into the Cyprus-Gaza maritime corridor that's currently running. Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos says although the two initiatives are now separate, all aid reaching Gaza by sea will eventually have as its single departure point the Cypriot port of Larnaca.}}<!-- alternate AP headline is GAZA PIER AND CYPRUS MARITIME CORRIDOR WILL BECOME A SINGLE OPERATION, MINISTER SAYS --></ref> The first barge arrived and began to be unloaded at the World Central Kitchen jetty on March 15. |
On March 12, prior to construction of the U.S. pier, a barge "testing" the delivery route, operated by Spanish charity [[Proactiva Open Arms]] and loaded with 200 tons of food from [[World Central Kitchen]], left the port of [[Larnaca]] in Cyprus for Gaza.<ref>{{cite news |title=Aid ship testing sea corridor from Cyprus to Gaza sets sail |publisher=Al Jazeera |date=March 12, 2024 |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/3/12/first-aid-ship-to-gaza-leaves-cyprus-port}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=First aid ship to Gaza leaves Cyprus port in pilot project |date=March 12, 2024 |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/first-aid-ship-gaza-leaves-cyprus-port-pilot-project-2024-03-12/}}</ref> A jetty for unloading the barge was built at a location that was initially "not disclosed for security reasons",<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=El Pais |language=English |title=Operation Safeena: The thousand and one obstacles to bringing aid to Gaza by sea |author1-first=Luis |author1-last=de Vega |author2-first=Lola|author2-last=Hierro |date=March 13, 2024 |url=https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-03-13/operation-safeena-the-thousand-and-one-obstacles-to-bringing-aid-to-gaza-by-sea.html |quote=Another problem was how to unload the aid in Gaza when there are no working ports left. For this reason, WCK has been building a jetty for weeks with rubble and the remains of bombed buildings and with some cranes and construction machines that still work. Its location has not been disclosed for security reasons.}}</ref> but later discerned to be south of Gaza City ({{coord|31.497|N|34.408|E|name=Gaza WCK jetty}}) by journalists using commercial satellite imagery or talking to local construction workers.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=[[The Times of Israel]]|title=Aid from Cyprus to enter Gaza via new pier; EU warns of pockets of famine|first=Emanuel|last=Fabian|date=March 14, 2024|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/aid-from-cyprus-to-enter-gaza-via-idf-built-pier-eu-warns-of-pockets-of-famine/}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Preparations for maritime dock for aid shipments to Gaza continue – Large vehicles transporting cement blocks from Khan Younis port to Gaza City to build temporary floating dock|date=March 14, 2024|newspaper=[[Yeni Şafak]]|url=https://www.yenisafak.com/en/news/preparations-for-maritime-dock-for-aid-shipments-to-gaza-continue-3679406}}</ref> The Cyprus foreign minister, [[Constantinos Kombos]], said on March 13 that the US pier and the food route out of Larnaca would become a single operation.<ref>{{cite news|title=Cyprus says its maritime aid corridor will utilize US-built Gaza pier |agency=Associated Press |via=Times of Israel |date=March 13, 2024 |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/cyprus-says-its-maritime-aid-corridor-will-utilize-us-built-gaza-pier/ |quote=Cyprus' foreign minister says a US initiative to build a pier off Gaza for large-scale aid deliveries to the territory by sea will eventually be folded into the Cyprus-Gaza maritime corridor that's currently running. Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos says although the two initiatives are now separate, all aid reaching Gaza by sea will eventually have as its single departure point the Cypriot port of Larnaca.}}<!-- alternate AP headline is GAZA PIER AND CYPRUS MARITIME CORRIDOR WILL BECOME A SINGLE OPERATION, MINISTER SAYS --></ref> The first barge arrived and began to be unloaded at the World Central Kitchen jetty on March 15.<ref>{{cite news|publisher=CNN|title=Aid is being shipped to Gaza by sea. But a new maritime corridor is unlikely to stop the looming famine|first=Nadeen |last=Ebrahim|date=March 15, 2024|url=https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/15/middleeast/gaza-aid-ship-explainer-looming-famine-mime-intl/index.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|newspaper=The New York Times|title=First Ship Carrying Food Aid Arrives in Gaza|first=Anushka|last=Patil|date=March 15, 2024|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/15/world/middleeast/gaza-food-aid-ship.html}}</ref> |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
Revision as of 17:35, 20 May 2024
Causeway connected to Gaza shore, shortly after completion on May 16 | |
Type | Barge landing |
---|---|
Carries | Food aid from Cyprus |
Locale | Mediterranean Sea off Gaza Strip |
Characteristics | |
Construction | |
History | |
Construction start | April 6, 2024 |
Completion date | May 16, 2024 |
Opening date | May 17, 2024 |
The Gaza floating pier is a floating dock facility created by the U.S. military, after being proposed immediately before U.S. President Biden's 2024 State of the Union Address on March 7, 2024. It was completed in May 2024.
It was constructed by U.S. military forces on ships offshore the Gaza Strip, then connected to the shore by causeway, to enable delivery of maritime cargo for humanitarian assistance to Gaza.[1][2][3][4] The unloading point joins the Netzarim Corridor.[5] The World Food Programme will be responsible for receiving and distributing the aid.[6]
President Biden stated that Israel "must also do its part." He further stated that "Humanitarian assistance cannot be a secondary consideration or a bargaining chip. Protecting and saving innocent lives has to be a priority."[7] Israel will inspect the humanitarian aid in Cyprus prior to shipping, and again at checkpoints in Gaza when it is delivered off the pier. The pier has the capacity to deliver 150 trucks of aid per day.[8]
Background
Blockade of the Gaza Strip |
---|
Crossings |
2004 |
Philadelphi Accord |
2006 |
Economic sanctions |
2007 |
Fatah–Hamas battle |
2008 |
2009 |
Viva Palestina "Lifeline 3" |
2010 |
2011 |
2015 |
Freedom Flotilla III |
2016 |
Women's Boat to Gaza |
2023 |
Israeli "total blockade" |
2024 |
2024 Gaza freedom flotilla |
A blockade has been imposed on the movement of goods and people in and out of the Gaza Strip since Hamas's takeover in 2007, led by Israel and supported by Egypt. The blockade's current stated aim is to prevent the smuggling of weapons into Gaza; previously stated motivations have included exerting economic pressure on Hamas.[9]
Attempts to bring in humanitarian aid by water into Gaza has been attempted multiple times, and has end with intervention by the Israeli military. In May 2010 the IDF participated in a military operation dubbed the Gaza flotilla raid against six civilian ships in international waters, resulting in contested events, nine passengers of the flotilla killed and thirty passengers and 10 IDF troops wounded.[10] In July 2011, a second flotilla was planned by 22 NGOs to attempt to break the maritime blockade but did not take place.[11] In the summer of 2015, a third flotilla was planned to break the blockade and set out from Sweden with multiple stops before being intercepted by the Israeli military in international waters and participants detained.[12][13]
The Gaza Strip is experiencing a humanitarian crisis as a result of the Israel–Hamas war which began after the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October 2023.[14][15] The crisis includes both a famine and a healthcare collapse. At the start of the war, Israel tightened its blockade on the Gaza Strip on 9 October 2023, with Israel's Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced a "total blockade",[16] blocking the entry of food, water, medicine, fuel and electricity.[17] This has resulted in significant shortages of fuel, food, medication, water, and essential medical supplies.[14][18]
In January 2024, Israeli authorities blocked 56% of humanitarian aid to northern Gaza.[19] On 9 February 2024, UNRWA's director Philippe Lazzarini reported that Israel had blocked food for 1.1 million Palestinians in Gaza.[20]
Outline plan
During October and November 2023, Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides developed the maritime aid corridor idea, named the Amalthea Initiative,[21][22] with European Union leaders at a humanitarian conference in Paris and elsewhere.[23][24] On November 5, 2023, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Cyprus to discuss the maritime aid corridor.[25]
On November 20, 2023, Christodoulides said Cyprus was ready to ship large quantities of humanitarian aid to Gaza when a pause in fighting was declared. He said that in the short term shallow-draft vessels could be used to ferry aid, and in the medium term a floating dock off Gaza could be used. He had been in regular contact with the Israeli Prime Minister about the proposal, but getting authorization required careful negotiations. An Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Israel was "definitely in favor of the project."[26][27]
The Jerusalem Post reported that a senior Israeli diplomatic source said the plan was based on a proposal for a maritime route to Gaza via Cyprus for humanitarian assistance initiated by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in collaboration with President Biden on October 22, 2023. The Jerusalem Post reported that on October 31, Netanyahu outlined this proposal to Cypriot President Christodoulides and on January 19, 2024, Netanyahu proposed to Biden a team should be set up to explore the proposal including inspection of all goods transported.[28][29] On December 20, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said "The creation of a maritime corridor to Gaza will help Israel's economic disengagement from the Strip", following a meeting with Cypriot Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos to discuss the maritime aid corridor.[30] Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman had proposed a similar plan to Cyprus in 2010 when it was called the Lieberman Proposal,[31] and again in 2018 when he was Defense Minister.[32] In 2021, Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid proposed the Gaza Development Plan which included a sea port on an artificial island under Israeli security control off Gaza.[33][34]
The pier will probably allow delivery of thousands of tons of food aid at a time, equivalent to "hundreds of truckloads",[35] via barge embarked in Cyprus and screened for contraband there.[36]
Over 1,000 U.S. military personnel will be involved in construction of the pier and 1,800 foot (550 m) long Joint Logistics Over-The-Shore (JLOTS) type modular causeway, over a 60 day period.[37][38] The part of the JLOTS system[39] to be deployed is a large floating modular unloading platform secured by sea anchors stationed about three miles offshore, allowing supplies to be then transferred by lighters to a modular causeway off the shore.[40][41] The project, known internally as the Blue Beach Plan, was partially developed by an advisory group called Fogbow, co-founded by Michael Mulroy, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense, and Sam Mundy, a retired Marine Lt. Gen. The plan includes potentially dredging a corridor on a private beachfront to aid unloading. The goal is to allow barges to approach the shore for aid distribution onto trucks. The military pier, once operational, could provide another way for aid delivery.[42][43][44]
Fogbow plan
The Fogbow plan is a strategy created by the American advisory group Fogbow, founded by Michael Mulroy and Sam Mundy and managed by former US military and intelligence personnel, to establish a maritime corridor. According to the initial Fogbow plan, a significant portion of aid will be transported using Masri trucks to the Gaza Industrial Zone, a specified area within the Gaza sector. Additionally, Fogbow aims to set up a new beach landing site for delivering humanitarian aid. This initiative seeks to improve aid distribution by increasing the number of drop zones along the coast, making it easier to transport aid to remote areas that are difficult to reach by typical overland routes. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have agreed to provide security assistance to Fogbow. To support the implementation of this plan, funding will be directed through a recently established foundation called the "Maritime Humanitarian Aid Foundation."[45][46][47]
Construction and route history
On March 9, 2024, U.S. Army support ship General Frank S. Besson was sent from Norfolk to begin construction of the pier.[48] Four more ships with 500 Army troops left on March 12. The ships included landing craft USAV Wilson Wharf, USAV Matamoros and USAV Monterrey; and Besson-class support ship USAV SP4 James A. Loux.[49][50][51] In addition to Army, Naval Beach Group 1 from San Diego, and MV Roy P. Benavidez (T-AKR-306) from an East Coast maritime reserve force were assigned to assist in construction.[52] Roy P. Benavidez departed from Virginia on March 21.[53]
The Senate Intelligence and Foreign Relations Committee chairpersons Mark Warner and Ben Cardin (both Democrats) requested briefings from the Biden administration on the force protection plan for the U.S. units participating in construction.[54] On March 28, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs told press that Israel would be providing security during installation of the pier.[55]
By April 5, Besson and Benavidez had reached the Mediterranean.[56] By April 17, Besson, Benavidez and three other Army vessels had reached Crete.[57]
The Royal Navy is participating in the effort. RFA Cardigan Bay is used by American soldiers and sailors as a dormitory.[8]
On April 26, construction of the pier by US forces began,[58] and satellite photos published a few days later showed Benavidez building the dock 8 kilometers (4.3 nautical miles) from the Gaza shore.[59]
On May 1, a Pentagon spokesperson said that the floating pier was complete, and the causeway was under construction, with the total project more than half completed.[60] On May 7, it was reported that the causeway had been assembled offshore and was ready to be moved and connected to the shore.[61][62] On May 16, the U.S. military announced that the causeway had been anchored and connected to the Gaza shoreline.[63][64] Trucks began delivering aid off of the pier on May 17.[65]
Temporary interim jetty
On March 12, prior to construction of the U.S. pier, a barge "testing" the delivery route, operated by Spanish charity Proactiva Open Arms and loaded with 200 tons of food from World Central Kitchen, left the port of Larnaca in Cyprus for Gaza.[66][67] A jetty for unloading the barge was built at a location that was initially "not disclosed for security reasons",[68] but later discerned to be south of Gaza City (31°29′49″N 34°24′29″E / 31.497°N 34.408°E) by journalists using commercial satellite imagery or talking to local construction workers.[69][70] The Cyprus foreign minister, Constantinos Kombos, said on March 13 that the US pier and the food route out of Larnaca would become a single operation.[71] The first barge arrived and began to be unloaded at the World Central Kitchen jetty on March 15.[72][73]
See also
References
- ^ Magdy, Samy; Sewell, Abby; Madhani, Aamer; Knickmeyer, Ellen (7 March 2024). "Biden orders US military to set up temporary aid port for Gaza as famine threatens" (News article). AP News. Washington, D.C.: Associated Press. Archived from the original on 8 March 2024. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
- ^ Karen DeYoung (March 7, 2024). "Live updates and analysis of Biden's address". Washington Post.
Biden announces his new initiative for the U.S. military to build a port and a pier to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza by ship, and quickly repeats his call for a two-state solution as the only path to peace.
- ^ "WATCH: Biden directs U.S. military to build temporary pier in Gaza for humanitarian aid". PBS. 7 March 2024. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
- ^ Niall Stanage (March 8, 2024). "5 takeaways from Biden's State of the Union address". The Hill.
- ^ "What Israel's strategic corridor in Gaza reveals about its postwar plans". WAPO. 17 May 2024.
- ^ Yeung, Jessie (May 17, 2024). "US military starts delivering aid to Gaza through floating pier". CNN.
- ^ Borger, Julian (8 March 2024). "Biden announces US will build pier on Gaza shore for large-scale aid delivery". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
- ^ a b Pelham, Lipika (26 April 2024). "Gaza pier: US begins building floating base to boost aid". BBC News. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
- ^ "Light at the End of Their Tunnels? Hamas and the Arab Uprisings" (PDF). International Crisis Group. August 14, 2012. p. 38, note 283. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 September 2012.
The prime minister is comfortable with limited economic growth in Gaza, particularly as a way to modify Hamas's urge to get into trouble. We still want there to be a discrepancy between economic life in Gaza and the West Bank, but we no longer feel it needs to be so large.
- ^ Finkelstein, N. (2021). Gaza: An Inquest Into Its Martyrdom. United States: University of California Press. pp. 146 "The only witnesses able to contest the official Israeli account had been impris- oned and their photographic evidence confiscated."
- ^ "Flotilla delayed until next week". Jewish Journal. Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 1 July 2011. Retrieved 2 July 2011.
- ^ "Israeli Navy Peacefully Intercepts Gaza-Bound Vessel". The New York Times. June 29, 2015.
- ^ "IDF violence against passangers [sic] of Ship to Gaza boat Marianne". YouTube. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
- ^ a b Ioanes, Ellen (14 October 2023). "Gaza's spiraling humanitarian crisis, explained". Vox. Archived from the original on 14 October 2023. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
- ^ Marsi, Federica (14 October 2023). "Gaza doctors warn of a humanitarian catastrophe after Israeli attacks". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 14 October 2023. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
- ^ "Israel announces 'total' blockade on Gaza". Al Jazeera. 9 October 2023. Archived from the original on 9 October 2023. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
- ^ "Gaza 'soon without fuel, medicine and food'". BBC News. 9 October 2023. Archived from the original on 9 October 2023. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
- ^ Gottbrath, Laurin-Whitney. "Gaza "fast becoming hell hole" on "brink of collapse" amid Israel strikes: UN". Axios. Archived from the original on 16 October 2023. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
- ^ "Israel appears to be in breach of ICJ orders on Gaza, senior UN official says". The Guardian. 10 February 2024.
- ^ Frankel, Julia (9 February 2024). "Israel is holding up food for 1.1 million Palestinians in Gaza, the main UN aid agency there says". Associated Press.
- ^ Stamouli, Nektaria (9 November 2023). "EU throws weight behind Cypriot plan to ship aid to Gaza". POLITICO. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
- ^ "Efforts intensify to open maritime aid corridor to Gaza". Financial Mirror. Cyprus. 31 October 2023. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
- ^ Irish, John (9 November 2023). "Cyprus outlines plan for maritime corridor to get aid to Gaza". Reuters. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
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- ^ Eglash, Ruth Marks; Harkov, Lahav (13 March 2024). "Food airdrops, pier construction can't overcome chaos in Gaza aid distribution, say officials". Jewish Insider. New York. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
Contrary to the Biden administration's portrayal of the initiative as a way to bypass Israel, Jewish Insider heard Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tout the idea in a press briefing – off the record at the time – on Nov. 5, 2023. Netanyahu said at the time, less than a month into the war, that he had already discussed the idea with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides.
- ^ "Israel-Cyprus working on maritime aid corridor for Gaza". The Jerusalem Post. 20 December 2023. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
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- ^ Boxerman, Aaron (12 September 2021). "Lapid proposes 'new vision' for Gaza, promises economic steps for Hamas quiet". Times of Israel. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
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- ^ Widakuswara, Patsy (March 7, 2024). "Biden Ordering US Military to Build Port in Gaza to Facilitate Aid". Voice of America.
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- ^ "Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore (JLOTS)" (PDF). Department of Defense. 5 August 2005. JP 4-01.6. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
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The US military has completed construction of its Gaza aid pier, but weather conditions mean it is currently unsafe to move the two-part facility into place, the Pentagon said Tuesday.
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Another problem was how to unload the aid in Gaza when there are no working ports left. For this reason, WCK has been building a jetty for weeks with rubble and the remains of bombed buildings and with some cranes and construction machines that still work. Its location has not been disclosed for security reasons.
- ^ Fabian, Emanuel (March 14, 2024). "Aid from Cyprus to enter Gaza via new pier; EU warns of pockets of famine". The Times of Israel.
- ^ "Preparations for maritime dock for aid shipments to Gaza continue – Large vehicles transporting cement blocks from Khan Younis port to Gaza City to build temporary floating dock". Yeni Şafak. March 14, 2024.
- ^ "Cyprus says its maritime aid corridor will utilize US-built Gaza pier". Associated Press. March 13, 2024 – via Times of Israel.
Cyprus' foreign minister says a US initiative to build a pier off Gaza for large-scale aid deliveries to the territory by sea will eventually be folded into the Cyprus-Gaza maritime corridor that's currently running. Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos says although the two initiatives are now separate, all aid reaching Gaza by sea will eventually have as its single departure point the Cypriot port of Larnaca.
- ^ Ebrahim, Nadeen (March 15, 2024). "Aid is being shipped to Gaza by sea. But a new maritime corridor is unlikely to stop the looming famine". CNN.
- ^ Patil, Anushka (March 15, 2024). "First Ship Carrying Food Aid Arrives in Gaza". The New York Times.
Further reading
- McDowall, Angus (March 8, 2024). "Will Biden's temporary port plan stop famine in Gaza?". Reuters.
- Kambas, Michele (March 8, 2024). "Gaza aid corridor from Cyprus could start this weekend, says EU president". Reuters – via MSN.
- Nieberg, Patty (March 13, 2024), "The Army's floating pier in Gaza is a preview of Indo-Pacific tactics – The pier will bring ashore up to 2 million meals per day in Gaza, but would be a centerpiece of future potential Pacific conflicts.", Task & Purpose
- Chotiner, Isaac (March 14, 2024), "Why Biden's floating pier is unlikely to meet Gaza's needs", The New Yorker
- Sonenshine, Tara (March 29, 2024), "A new US-run pier off Gaza could help deliver 2 million meals a day – but it comes with security risks", The Conversation – via SFGate
- Mordowanec, Nick (April 30, 2024), "Gaza map and photos show US pier construction", Newsweek
External links
- "Pentagon Briefs on Fourth Aid Airdrop and Off-Shore Pier to Deliver Aid Into Gaza", excerpt of press briefing by Major General Patrick S. Ryder, USAF, March 8, 2024
- Kanj, Jamal (21 March 2024). "Gaza's Floating Pier and Biden's Fake Empathy". CounterPunch.org.
- Alyacoubi, Noor (10 May 2024). "Humanitarian Aid or Political Conspiracy - What Do Gazans Think of the American Pier". Palestine Chronicle.