Construction for temporary dock to provide aid to Gaza begins

GAZA CITY, Palestine

Heavy machinery has begun preparations to build a temporary floating dock off the coast of Gaza to provide aid to people in the besieged Palestinian enclave, Anadolu has learned.

Witnesses confirmed that heavy machinery is operating near the Al-Baydar area, which is controlled by Israeli forces.

The move was announced by US President Joe Biden in his State of the Union address last week, as Israel has restricted land routes into Gaza, slowing the flow of aid to a trickle.

He said he directed the military to lead an emergency mission to establish a temporary pier in the Mediterranean on the Gaza coast that can receive large ships carrying food, water, medicine and temporary shelters.

Israel's public broadcaster KAN said international relief organizations, with Tel Aviv's approval, recently initiated the construction of the dock on a northern Gaza Strip beach, facilitating the docking of humanitarian aid vessels.

Israel started its war on Gaza after the Oct. 7, 2023 cross-border incursion by Hamas. It has since killed more than 31,000 Palestinians and pushed the territory to the brink of famine.

In an attempt to address the crisis, the US and other countries began airdrops of aid for Gaza, but that can provide only a limited amount of aid.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul