US Army completes construction of the floating port off Gaza

The Pentagon announced yesterday that the US military has completed the construction of the floating port off Gaza. 

The floating port, which the United States began building last month and which costs at least $320 million, aims to deliver more humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, which has been witnessing seven months of Israeli military operations against Hamas.

Deputy Spokesperson for the US Department of Defense, Sabrina Singh, said in a statement to reporters: “Today, the construction of the floating port with both parts was completed,” awaiting their transfer to the designated location off Gaza.

She added: “Today, forecasts still predict expected strong winds and high sea waves, causing unsafe conditions for transporting the components of the floating port. Therefore, sections of the port and the military ships involved in its construction are still in the port of Ashdod, in southern Israel.

She stressed that the US Central Command is “ready to move the port to its location in the near future.”

On Friday, the US Army announced that its forces had moved the construction site of the floating port to the Israeli port of Ashdod due to strong waves and winds.

When weather conditions become favourable, the floating port will be moved to its designated location opposite Gaza, and Israeli soldiers will install its floating dock on the coast of the Gaza Strip to keep American soldiers away from its territory.

After that, the aid will be transported by commercial ships to a floating platform off the coast of Gaza, to be transferred to smaller ships that will deliver it to the pier that has been linked to the coast, and ultimately to land after loading it into trucks for distribution.

US President Joe Biden announced, for the first time, plans to establish the pier in early March, in light of Israel’s disruption of the delivery of aid by land.

A senior US administration official said last week that all 2.2 million residents of the Strip face food insecurity.