The United States has begun moving a floating dock system to deliver critical humanitarian aid to waters off the Gaza Strip, and expects the system to be in place within the next 24 hours, three U.S. officials said. said.
The U.S. military began towing the system from the Israeli port of Ashdod, about 20 miles north of Gaza, on Wednesday afternoon. Once installed, officials said deliveries of food and other aid could begin within 24 to 48 hours after installation.
The dock system will be anchored three to five miles off the coast, and food and other aid will be transferred from the dock to a causeway on the Gaza coast and installed overnight.
“Early today, elements of the temporary jetty that make up our joint land-based logistics capability, as well as the warships involved in its construction, began moving from the port of Ashdod towards Gaza,” a defense official said in a statement. . It will be anchored off the coast to help provide international humanitarian aid. ”
Recommendation
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Tuesday gave Gen. Michael “Eric” Kurilla, the commander of Central Command, the go-ahead to move forward with installing the dock, known as the JLOTS system, officials said.
The system had been assembled and waiting in Ashdod since earlier this month, but the Pentagon had not approved the move due to weather and safety concerns, officials said. The decision to relocate was made on Wednesday as seas are expected to be stable over the next few days and the security situation remains largely unchanged.
The relief delivery system is complex, with civilian relief vessels, piers, trucks, small U.S. military boats, and causeways all involved in transporting supplies to the coast, with U.S. Navy vessels participating for security. There is. But once operational, they can provide dramatically more aid than airdrops. Defense officials say they should be able to deliver more aid in the first 48 hours of operation than all previous airdrops combined.
A portion of the floating pier next to the U.S. Navy cargo ship Roy P. Benavidez in the Mediterranean Sea on April 26. Maxar via AFP – Getty Images
The U.S. began transporting elements to build the system from Virginia to the Mediterranean in March, just weeks after President Joe Biden announced plans for piers and aid delivery in his State of the Union address. .