US soldiers depart for mission to build Gaza aid port

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
13 Mar 2024 05:53

US Army Brigadier General Brad Hinson says the new facility is expected to be up and running "at the 60-day mark."

The US Army USAV SP4 James A. Loux (R) and the USAV Wilson Wharf depart from the pier at Joint Base Langley-Eustis during a media preview of the 7th Transportation Brigade deployment in Hampton, Virginia, on March 12, 2024. The Brigade is deploying to the Middle East to assist in the multinational humanitarian aid corridor for Gaza. (Photo by ROBERTO SCHMIDT / AFP)

Four US Army vessels departed a base in Virginia on Tuesday carrying about 100 soldiers and equipment needed to build a temporary port on Gaza's coast for urgently needed aid deliveries, amid the ongoing Israeli aggression on the besieged Strip.

The first -- known as a Logistics Support Vessel -- slowly churned away from the pier at Joint Base Langley-Eustis.

It was followed by three smaller vessels that will also make the roughly 30-day trip to the eastern Mediterranean for the port mission.

The new facility -- which will consist of an offshore platform for transshipment of aid from larger to smaller vessels and a pier to bring it ashore -- is expected to be up and running "at the 60-day mark," US Army Brigadier General Brad Hinson told journalists.

"Once we get fully mission-capable, we will be able to push up to two million meals, or two million bottles of water, ashore each day," he said.

US officials have said the mission will not involve "boots on the ground" in Gaza, but American troops will come close to the beleaguered coastal territory as they construct the pier, which has to be anchored to the shore.

"I'm not going to go into the specifics of who we're working with in order to anchor the pier, but we will have some assistance," said Hinson, who also declined to discuss security measures.

A total of some 500 troops from the 7th Transportation Brigade (Expeditionary) will take part in the operation, Hinson mentioned, describing it as "the premier watercraft unit in our Army."

"They can provide sustainment support over the water in austere environments. They are trained to do this, and they've gone on many exercises to be ready to provide this capability," he said.

The Palestinian people in Gaza are facing dire shortages of food, water and medicine, and several cases of people dying of starvation were reported as the Israeli occupation forces continue to delay the entry of much-needed aid across the Strip.

Instead of calling for a permanent ceasefire, the United States has carried out a series of airdrops to deliver aid this month.

Playing the hero, US President Joe Biden announced the plan for the temporary port during his State of the Union address last week, in which he called on "Israel" to let more assistance into the besieged Gaza Strip.

Another Logistics Support Vessel has already departed, leaving "less than 36 hours after President Biden announced the US would provide humanitarian assistance to Gaza by sea," the US Central Command said over the weekend.