US says a UN agency has agreed to help in distribution of aid to Gaza via sea route

WASHINGTON — The U.N. World Food Program has agreed to provide aid to Gaza’s starving civilians once the U.S. military completes a pier to transport the humanitarian aid by sea, U.S. officials said Friday.

The UN agency’s involvement could help resolve one of the biggest obstacles facing the US-planned project: the reluctance of aid groups to take on the on-the-ground distribution of food and other desperately needed goods in Gaza , without significant changes by Israel.

An Israeli military strike on April 1 that killed seven World Central Kitchen aid workers intensified international criticism of Israel for failing to provide security for humanitarian workers or enable sufficient aid across land borders.

President Joe Biden, who himself has faced criticism over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza while supporting Israel’s military campaign against Hamas, announced on March 8 that the US military would build the temporary pier and causeway as an alternative to land routes.

The U.S. Agency for International Development confirmed to The Associated Press that it would work with WFP in delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza through the maritime corridor.

“This is a complex operation that requires coordination between many partners, and our discussions are ongoing. Across Gaza, the safety and security of humanitarian actors is critical to the delivery of assistance, and we continue to advocate for measures that will provide greater security for humanitarian workers,” USAID said in a statement to the AP.

U.S. and WFP officials were working on how to deliver aid to Palestinian civilians “in an independent, neutral and impartial manner,” the agency said.

There was no immediate comment from WFP, and a WFP spokesperson did not immediately return a request for comment.

Israel vowed to open more border crossings into Gaza and increase the flow of aid after its drone strikes killed the seven aid workers delivering food to the Palestinian territory.

The war was sparked when Hamas militants attacked southern Israel on October 7, killing about 1,200 people and taking some 250 others hostage. Israel’s offensive in Gaza, aimed at destroying Hamas, has caused widespread destruction and killed more than 33,800 people, according to local health officials. Hundreds of UN and other humanitarian workers are among the victims of Israeli attacks.

International officials say famine is looming in northern Gaza, where 70% of people are facing catastrophic hunger.

The US military will build a so-called modular causeway as part of the maritime route, hoping that handling the inspection and processing of aid offshore will speed up distribution to the people of Gaza.

Offshore, the army will build a large floating platform where ships can unload pallets of relief supplies. The aid is then transferred by army boats to a motorized series of steel piers or causeways anchored to the shore.

Several army ships and ships from the Military Sealift Command are already in the Mediterranean Sea and are working on the preparation and construction of the platform and pier.

That pier is expected to be as much as 550 meters long, with two lanes, and the Pentagon has said it would allow the delivery of more than 2 million meals a day to Gazans.

Army Col. Sam Miller, commander of the 7th Transportation Brigade, which is responsible for constructing the pier, said about 500 of his soldiers will participate in the mission. All told, Pentagon officials have said about 1,000 U.S. troops will be involved.

Air Force Major General Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary, told reporters this week that the US is on track to have the system operational by the end of this month or early May. Actual construction of the pier had been put on hold as U.S. and international officials entered into agreements to collect and distribute the aid.

He said the US has made progress and Israel has agreed to provide coastal security. The White House has made it clear that there will be no US troops on the ground in Gaza, so while they are building parts of the pier, they will not be transporting aid to shore.

U.S. Navy and Army ships will provide security for U.S. troops building the pier.