The “floating pier” built by the U.S. Navy off the coast of Gaza was completed on Thursday, and connected to the shore by Israel Defense Forces (IDF) troops.
President Joe Biden announced the port project in his State of the Union address in March to augment land routes to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza. He promised that there would be no American “boots on the ground”; the U.S. is relying on the IDF to provide onshore security for the port.
NBC reported Wednesday that the port would be completed and installed within a day. U.S. Central Command confirmed that there were no U.S. troops on the ground in Gaza, but did not indicate whether they had been in Israel.
IDF troops coordinated with the U.S. military as the pier was connected.
The IDF issued a statement:
The connection of the floating pier in the Gaza Strip was successfully completed. In recent weeks, the IDF and the Ministry of Defense have made extensive preparations to receive the floating pier.
The preparations were carried out over the last few weeks by the Engineering and Construction Department of the Ministry of Defense, the IDF, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories [COGAT] and in cooperation with the U.S. Military.
The IDF, via COGAT, is continuing ongoing humanitarian efforts and working in cooperation with the U.S. Central Command to establish the floating pier for humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip.
In addition, the IDF opened new land routes for humanitarian aid to arrive in Gaza from Jordan via Judea and Samaria (the West Bank):
This week, the IDF, via the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), is continuing efforts to facilitate the transfer of hundreds of humanitarian aid trucks containing food, water, medical equipment and shelter equipment for the residents of Gaza. Accordingly, today (Thursday), 365 humanitarian aid trucks entered the Gaza Strip through the Kerem Shalom Crossing operated by the Ministry of Defense’s Land Crossings Authority, as well as the Erez Crossing, following thorough security checks.
Throughout the day, about 38 trucks of flour were transferred alongside 76,000 liters of fuel that were transferred yesterday (Wednesday) for the World Food Program (WFP) organization to provide supplies to the organization’s bakery operating throughout the Gaza Strip. In addition, today, 17 Jordanian trucks containing humanitarian aid were transferred to the Gaza Strip as part of the hundreds of trucks that were transferred. Last Sunday, hundreds of tents purchased by the State of Israel and intended for the Humanitarian Area in Al-Mawasi were brought in through the Kerem Shalom Crossing as part of plans for the civilian population temporarily evacuating from the Rafah area to the humanitarian areas.
Furthermore, in accordance with the government of Israel’s directive and in coordination with the U.S. administration, on Monday this week, the Tarqumiyah and Beitunia crossings in Judea and Samaria were opened for the first time since the beginning of the war in order to expand the inspection routes of humanitarian aid trucks going to the Gaza Strip, as part of efforts to increase the rate of inspection of aid.
The IDF will continue its efforts to allow humanitarian aid to enter the Gaza Strip by land, air, and sea, in accordance with international law.
In recent weeks, right-wing protesters in Israel have attacked some aid convoys passing through Israel of Judea and Samaria. They object to sending aid to Gaza, especially while there are still 133 Israeli hostages who may not receive any of the aid. Many also believe the aid only helps Hamas and therefore prolongs the war. The White House has condemned the protests.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the recent e-book, “The Zionist Conspiracy (and how to join it),” now available on Audible. He is also the author of the e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
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