US supports Israeli forces in successful hostage rescue operation in Gaza

Aid deliveries to Gaza have resumed from a temporary pier that underwent repairs in a nearby port [fa7623f7]. The United States has delivered approximately 492 metric tons of humanitarian assistance to Gaza in response to the devastation caused by Israeli operations against Palestinian militant group Hamas [fa7623f7]. The temporary pier, built by US Army troops and vessels, had no role in Israel's recent operation to rescue hostages in Gaza [fa7623f7]. The pier was damaged by high seas but has now been repaired and reestablished [fa7623f7]. The United States has been accused of delaying aid entry into Gaza, depriving the population of essential supplies [fa7623f7]. Aid deliveries via sea or air are not as efficient as truck convoys, and there are concerns of a looming famine in Gaza [fa7623f7] [56be69ba].

More than 100 aid trucks have reached the Gaza Strip, but supplies have not been distributed due to the ongoing Israeli assault [90dfc643]. Deliveries are urgently needed as little aid has reached southern Gaza since May 6 [90dfc643]. Israeli forces began a ground offensive in the east of Rafah over three weeks ago [90dfc643]. Egyptian security sources confirmed that 123 aid trucks had crossed the border and handed over the goods to the United Nations [90dfc643]. However, Palestinian trucks that went to pick up the aid at the crossing returned empty [90dfc643]. Egypt and the United States agreed to utilize the Kerem Shalom border crossing until arrangements were made to re-open Rafah from the Palestinian side [90dfc643]. About 200 trucks were expected to come in on Sunday, still below what officials say is needed in the strip, home to 2.3 million people [90dfc643]. KSrelief, a Saudi-funded charity, has sent a ship carrying nearly 500 tonnes of aid for Gaza [90dfc643].

Aid deliveries began arriving at a U.S.-built pier off the Gaza Strip on Friday as Israel comes under growing global pressure to allow more supplies into the besieged coastal enclave [6c0cf007]. The temporary floating pier was pre-assembled at the Israeli port of Ashdod and moved into place on Thursday on the shore of Gaza [6c0cf007]. The United Nations has agreed to assist in coordinating aid deliveries and distribution at the floating dock [6c0cf007]. The Hamas-run government media office in Gaza accused Washington of 'trying to improve its ugly image' with the pier [6c0cf007]. The U.N. reiterated that aid deliveries by land are the 'most viable, effective and efficient' way to combat the humanitarian crisis in the enclave of 2.3 million people [6c0cf007]. Aid offloaded at the pier will come via a maritime corridor from Cyprus, where it is first inspected by Israel [6c0cf007]. The pier operation is estimated to cost $320 million and involve 1,000 U.S. troops [6c0cf007].

During the Israel-Hamas war, Sigrid Kaag, the United Nations Senior Humanitarian Coordinator for Gaza, spoke at an event hosted by the U.S. Institute of Peace in Washington, DC, about the challenges of navigating humanitarian assistance to Gaza [32d874f3]. Kaag emphasized the importance of diversifying supply routes and highlighted the obstacles to delivering aid to Gaza, including the complicated border inspection process and the need for security coordination with Israeli forces for distribution [a788947e] [32d874f3]. She also warned that ongoing fighting, desperation, and lawlessness make it increasingly difficult to receive and distribute aid safely [a788947e] [32d874f3].

President Joe Biden called on Israel to prioritize the delivery of aid to Gaza and announced the establishment of a temporary port in Gaza to facilitate the flow of humanitarian assistance [5bc60812]. The port, which will be set up with the help of the U.S. military, aims to receive critically needed food and medical supplies to address the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza [5bc60812]. The United Nations has welcomed the news, stating that more help is needed as the risk of famine looms [66515cd3]. The UN officials emphasize the importance of providing aid to Gaza as the region faces a dire situation, with the UN World Food Program warning of a looming famine and 500,000 people at risk of starvation [5bc60812] [66515cd3]. At least 20 people have died due to malnutrition and dehydration since the war began, and more than 30,000 people have been killed in Gaza [5bc60812]. Biden emphasized that Israel must ensure the safety of humanitarian workers and not use aid as a bargaining chip [5bc60812]. The increased American humanitarian involvement in Gaza comes after more than 100 Palestinians were killed during an aid delivery attempt [8032882a]. The US has been airdropping aid into Gaza and reaffirmed its support for a two-state solution to the conflict [865329cf]. Biden's support for Israel has become a challenge to his reelection campaign, with Democratic voters casting 'uncommitted' ballots and urging him to push for a permanent cease-fire and place conditions on American military aid to Israel [0b719d4d] [7b6c6a09] [d13687cf] [46958001] [6158a405] [3a5d2a14] [68eb8cb1].

Despite efforts to diversify aid delivery methods, including airdrops and seaborne shipments, the malnutrition and hunger crisis in Gaza persist [56be69ba]. The United States has started airdropping food and water into Gaza, and a maritime shipment of aid has reached northern Gaza's shores [56be69ba]. However, experts and humanitarian groups argue that these methods are not as effective as delivering aid over land [56be69ba]. The main method for delivering aid should be over land because Gaza already has the necessary infrastructure in place [56be69ba]. The UN has documented more than two dozen attacks on Gazans waiting for aid since January [56be69ba]. Israel has closed most border crossings in the south, and its inspections of aid convoys slow down deliveries [56be69ba]. Talks for a cease-fire are expected to resume soon [56be69ba].

The UN World Food Program has agreed to help deliver aid for the starving civilians of Gaza once the US military completes a pier for transporting the humanitarian assistance by sea [e182d708]. The involvement of the UN agency could help resolve one of the major obstacles facing the US-planned project — the reluctance of aid groups to handle on-the-ground distribution of food and other badly needed goods in Gaza absent significant changes by Israel [e182d708]. President Joe Biden announced on March 8 that the US military would build the temporary pier and causeway, as an alternative to the land routes [e182d708]. The US Agency for International Development confirmed it would partner with the WFP on delivering humanitarian assistance to Gaza via the maritime corridor [e182d708]. Israel promised to open more border crossings into Gaza and increase the flow of aid after its drone strikes killed seven aid workers [e182d708]. The US military will be constructing a modular causeway as part of the maritime route, in hopes that handling the inspection and processing of the aid offshore will speed the distribution to Gaza’s people [e182d708]. The pier is expected to be as much as 1,800 feet long, with two lanes, and could accommodate the delivery of more than 2 million meals a day for Gaza residents [e182d708]. The US Navy ships and Army vessels will provide security for US forces building the pier [e182d708].

A humanitarian aid flotilla destined for Gaza was halted after Guinea Bissau decided to remove its flag from two vessels, activist group Freedom Flotilla Coalition said on Saturday [194bdbb6]. The three-strong flotilla had been due to sail on Friday from ports in Turkey with more than 5,000 tonnes of aid on board [194bdbb6]. The Guinea-Bissau International Ships Registry (GBISR) withdrew the Guinea Bissau flag from two of the Freedom Flotilla's ships, one of which is a cargo ship [194bdbb6]. The inspection and request by Guinea Bissau authorities were described as unusual and political [194bdbb6]. The Turkish Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) is the primary organizer of the civilian Freedom Flotilla Coalition, which is comprised of human rights activists, including lawyers, doctors, and nurses [194bdbb6]. United Nations experts demanded the safe passage of the flotilla and called on Israel to adhere to international law and orders of the International Court of Justice to allow unimpeded access for humanitarian aid [194bdbb6].

Aid for Gaza is being loaded onto a ship in Cyprus using a U.S. pier built to expedite supplies to the besieged enclave. The U.S. flagged Sagamore is being loaded with containers labeled as aid from the United Arab Emirates. The completion of the U.S. jetty in Cyprus allows for the shipment of aid to commence. The vessel's departure date is unclear. The military campaign by Israel against Hamas has devastated Gaza, and the aid shipments are crucial to address the imminent famine faced by its 2.3 million people. Cyprus opened a sea corridor in March to ship aid directly to Gaza after land deliveries were disrupted. The U.S. has built a custom-made offshore jetty to receive aid shipments, which will then be offloaded onto U.S. military logistics support vessels and loaded onto trucks for delivery.

In a recent development, a part of the U.S. military's pier off Gaza has broken off, rendering it temporarily inoperable [b5e65c35]. The pier was announced by U.S. President Joe Biden in March and involved the military assembling the floating structure off the coast [b5e65c35]. Estimated to cost $320 million for the first 90 days and involve about 1,000 U.S. service members, it went into operation two weeks ago [b5e65c35]. Since the pier began operations, the United Nations has transported 137 trucks of aid from the pier - the equivalent of 900 metric tonnes - said a U.N. World Food Programme (WFP) spokesperson [b5e65c35]. The US-built Gaza pier, which was severely damaged during the 2014 war, has been repaired at a cost of tens of millions of dollars. The pier is now ready for use and will serve as a gateway for goods and people to enter and exit Gaza. The repairs were funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and carried out by a Palestinian construction company. The pier is expected to boost the economy in Gaza by facilitating trade and providing job opportunities. The reopening of the pier is seen as a positive step towards improving the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

The United States provided support to the successful Israeli security forces raid that rescued four living hostages from captivity in Gaza on Saturday [34d4ba16]. The U.S. military did not participate in the operation, but its role came mainly in the form of intelligence support [34d4ba16]. One Israeli special operator lost his life in the rescue operation, and nearly 100 Palestinians were killed [34d4ba16]. The Biden administration has been providing support to Israel on hostage issues since Oct. 7, including diplomatic, intelligence, and military support [34d4ba16]. The U.S. has previously acknowledged providing overhead surveillance support to help locate hostages [34d4ba16]. The U.S. pier was not used in the IDF operation [34d4ba16]. Diplomatic efforts are still underway to negotiate the release