A top Republican is sounding the alarm over the “serious” consequences of President Biden’s plan to establish a floating emergency port off the coast of Gaza to help increase humanitarian aid in the war-torn region.
During his State of the Union address, Biden ordered the US military to send thousands of American troops with armed escorts on ships to build a temporary pier off the coast of Gaza.
“I am directing the United States military to lead an emergency mission to build a temporary pier in the Mediterranean Sea on the coast of Gaza, where large shipments of food, water, medicine and temporary shelter can be received,” the president said last week .
“There will be no American boots on the ground,” Biden promised. “A temporary pier will allow for a massive increase in the amount of humanitarian aid entering Gaza every day.”
However, former Special Forces officer Michael Waltz, R-Fla., sent a letter to Biden, obtained by DailyMail.com, stating that he “cannot easily imagine a potentially more catastrophic American policy toward Gaza.” The risk seems enormous.’
A map of the Gaza region. Threats to US military personnel would increase if they build the port off the coast of the war-torn region
During his State of the Union address, Biden ordered the US military to send thousands of American troops with armed escorts on ships to build a temporary pier off the coast of Gaza.
Waltz has not yet received a response from the White House about his concerns.
He says the main problems still remain with the distribution of the aid, as Hamas terrorists are likely to intercept it before it gets into the hands of civilians.
‘The problem is distribution, and distribution is what matters. This is a product of, if you like, the commercialization of aid: criminal gangs take it, loot it and resell it,” Waltz wrote.
Additionally, the congressman, who serves on the House Armed Services Committee, also questions how the military will be able to maintain security over dockside shipments, including intercepting deadly Iranian aid and missile components.
“This kind of smuggled lethal aid is precisely why Israel is in so much danger from Hamas, and why we must do everything we can to ensure that additional Iranian weapons do not reach Gaza,” he said, calling the operation a “huge wrong US prioritization’. military means.’
“It is unclear how this operation will address the six remaining American citizens among the more than 134 hostages still held by Hamas,” he added.
Waltz has not yet received a response from the White House about his concerns, but he is demanding an immediate detailed briefing of the operational plan.
In addition, threats to U.S. military personnel would increase with the construction of the port.
A reporter last week asked Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder whether the Pentagon expected Hamas “to try to shoot at them during the operation?”
Ryder responded, “Look, I mean, that’s definitely a risk.”
“But if Hamas really cares about the Palestinian people, then one would hope that this international mission to provide aid to those in need could proceed unhindered,” Ryder continued.
During the State of the Union, Biden added that Israel “must also do its part” to better facilitate aid to Gaza.
“To Israel’s leaders I say this: humanitarian aid should not be a secondary consideration or a bargaining chip. Protecting and saving innocent lives must be a priority,” he said.
Children carry kitchen utensils as they walk to a food distribution point in Gaza
Biden administration officials did not provide a timetable for when the pier will be built or where exactly it will be located, but said its construction will allow more shipments of food, medicine and other essential items to reach the 2.2 million Palestinians are delivered.
They said the White House will work with the Israelis on security on the ground and with the United Nations and humanitarian groups on obtaining aid.
The temporary pier will allow hundreds of additional truckloads of aid to arrive each day, officials said. It will provide an additional route for humanitarian aid, which is currently limited to two land crossings into the southern part of Gaza.
Other countries will be involved in the construction, but it is unclear whether Israel will be as well.
Construction of the project could take upwards of 30 to 60 days and would involve hundreds or thousands of U.S. troops on ships just off the coast. Armed escorts and other protective measures are also needed.
One of the key military units involved in the construction will be the Army’s 7th Transportation Brigade (Expeditionary), based out of Joint Base Eustis-Langley, Virginia, near Norfolk, U.S. Department of Defense officials told the New York Times.
Humanitarian aid falls over northern Gaza – US participates in airdrops
Supplies are dropped from a plane to Gaza
Palestinians carry or transport some personal belongings on carts as they flee Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip
Biden has already ordered U.S. airlifts for aid, which the military has carried out.
A famine has not yet been declared for Gaza, but 20% of households suffer from extreme lack of food, 30% of children suffer from acute malnutrition and 2 in 10,000 people die every day due to outright starvation or the interaction between malnutrition and disease,” according to the World Food Program.
The government said it was imperative to get aid on the ground as quickly as possible – and that it would go through Israel, its long-time ally.
The White House is also working on a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas to release hostages and make it easier to get aid.
Biden said during the State of the Union address that he has been working “non-stop” for an immediate ceasefire that would last six weeks.
That would give time “to release all the prisoners, release all the hostages and get the hostages home,” he said.
It would also “alleviate the unbearable an-humanitarian crisis and build towards a lasting – something more – something more sustainable.”