Pentagon expects US military port in Gaza to begin work by early May
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The Pentagon underlines that the US military pier in Gaza will begin to operate by early May amid international condemnations.
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Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder speaks during a press conference on Thursday, February 8, 2024, in Washington (AP)
Pentagon Press Secretary Pat Ryder confirmed that preparations for the utmost suspicious and allegedly temporary US military pier, which Washington claims is for the delivery of aid, are progressing as planned.
Referred to as the Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore (JLOTS) capability, this initiative is set to commence operations by early May, Ryder said Thursday.
"We are expecting JLOTS to be online by the end of the month, early May," Ryder affirmed, indicating significant progress toward the establishment of the aid delivery mechanism.
The decision to deploy the JLOTS capability off the coast of the Gaza Strip was announced by the United States last month, wherein US President Joe Biden announced during his State of the Union address that he had directed his military to lead a mission that will establish a temporary pier that will "bring humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip."
This move comes amidst escalating concerns over the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza, underscored by recent developments and mounting international appeals for urgent action, but it also comes amid talks regarding foreign intervention in Gaza.
Notably, White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby clarified on Tuesday that US troops would not be deployed on the ground in the Gaza Strip as part of the operation. Instead, the United States is collaborating with its partners to coordinate logistics flow and ensure the protection of the project, as highlighted by Kirby.
"This port, the main feature of which is a temporary pier, will provide the capacity for hundreds of additional truckloads of assistance each day," the official, a senior Biden administration official who wished to remain anonymous told AFP.
According to US sources, the "significant capability will take a number of weeks to plan and execute" and would include a maritime corridor transporting assistance by sea from Cyprus.
A second official stated that it was "foreseen to be an operation that won't require boots on the ground," adding that the US military possesses "unique capabilities" that allow them to operate offshore.
These "unique capabilities" are certainly not enough to influence the murderous Israeli regime into a ceasefire nor are they enough to deprive the Israeli occupation of military aid as it continues to bombard Gaza to pieces.
'Israel' considering PMCs to secure US pier
US officials told NBC News that "Israel" was considering using international Private Military Companies (PMCs) to secure the soon-to-be-established American military port in the Gaza Strip.
According to sources at the American network, Israeli officials have discussed the idea with senior officials from Joe Biden's administration in recent weeks. After airdropping minimal amounts of aid to residents of the Gaza Strip, the Biden administration moved to establish a temporary dock on the coast of central Gaza.
The main question regarding the logistics of delivering aid to millions of besieged Palestinians remains: Who will distribute the aid on the ground?
The US has yet to provide an answer to this question as its public stance of having no troops on the ground presents several hurdles for the plan's execution.
Following the construction of a floating dock and a portable pier system, the Biden administration hopes to deliver aid to northern Cyprus, where it will then load the aid onto ships that will transfer the shipments near the anchored system on Gaza's coast after undergoing multiple security checks. This is only the initial part of the process. US military personnel will then unload the aid only to load it back onto small boats and ferry the packages to the docking station.
The plan will require around 60 days and more than 1,000 US troops and civilian personnel.
Yet, after detailing this peculiar aid delivery process, aid still needs to be organized and distributed to Palestinians facing an imminent famine in the Gaza Strip, especially when US officials believe that the system will be able to deliver up to 2 million meals to the people a day.
