US confirms first aid trucks arrive via Gaza pier
The US military has confirmed that the first aid shipment via a temporary pier off Gaza has successfully gone ashore. According to US Central Command, aid trucks began moving ashore around 09:00 local time (07:00 BST).
In a post on X, US Central Command described the operation as an ongoing, multinational effort to deliver humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians in Gaza through a maritime corridor. It was also noted that no US troops went ashore during the operation.
Weeks ago, the US started constructing the floating base to facilitate the delivery of aid as Israel continues its military actions. Recently, hundreds of tonnes of aid arrived in Cyprus, where they were screened before being loaded onto ships for delivery to the pier.
Vice Adm Brad Cooper, deputy commander of US Central Command, explained that commercial ships will transport pallets from Cyprus to a floating platform located several kilometres off Gaza’s coast. Smaller US military vessels, capable of carrying between five and fifteen lorries of aid, will then move the supplies to a floating pier fixed to Gaza’s beach.
The aid trucks will travel along the pier and unload at a marshalling yard on the beach. The UN, primarily through the World Food Programme, will manage the distribution of the aid once it reaches the shore.
@aljazeeraenglish Watch the moment Red Crescent trucks carrying humanitarian aid enter besieged #Gaza from #Egypt through the #Rafah crossing, for the first time since Israel’s bombardment began two weeks ago. Al Jazeera’s James bays says it’s understood the 20 trucks only have medicine and food, not water or fuel. #israel #palestine #gazastrip #palestinetiktok #news