US Confirms Aid Trucks Arrive via Gaza Pier
The first shipment of humanitarian aid has arrived in Gaza through a temporary floating pier, as confirmed by the US military. According to US Central Command, aid trucks began moving ashore at approximately 09:00 local time (07:00 BST) on Friday.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced that 8,400 plastic shelters had been delivered, and around 500 tonnes of British aid, including tents, hygiene kits, and forklift trucks, are expected to arrive in Gaza via the US-constructed pier in the coming weeks. However, Sunak emphasized that the maritime route alone cannot address the humanitarian crisis in the enclave.
"We need to see more land routes open, including via the Rafah crossing, to ensure much more aid gets safely to civilians in desperate need of help," he stated.
UK Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron highlighted the severe risks faced by Gazans, including famine, and stressed the need for Israel to ensure land routes are open so that aid can reach those in need. Both Sunak and Cameron urged Israel to honor its commitment to allow at least 500 aid trucks per day into Gaza, where about 2.2 million people urgently require food, shelter, and other assistance.
On Friday, White House National Security spokesman John Kirby announced that US aid was arriving in Cyprus, where it would be screened by Israeli authorities before being loaded onto ships bound for Gaza. Kirby also stressed the importance of reopening the Rafah crossing, which Israel seized last week. Israel and Egypt have each blamed the other for its closure.
The pier is expected to provide access for 90 truckloads of aid at first, increasing to 150 once it is fully operational.
British personnel have been working with US counterparts aboard RFA Cardigan Bay to build and operate the pier.
The US began building the floating base weeks ago to facilitate the delivery of aid to Gaza as Israel continues its military campaign against Hamas.
Hundreds of tonnes of aid arrived in Cyprus on Wednesday where it was screened before being loaded on to ships for delivery to the pier.
Smaller US military vessels - capable of carrying between five and 15 lorries of aid - then transported it to the floating pier, which is several hundred metres long and fixed to the beach in Gaza.
The lorries travelled along the pier before dropping off the aid at a marshalling yard on the beach.
Authorities said that the UN, primarily the World Food Programme, would be responsible for the onward distribution of aid.
The Israeli offensive began after Hamas gunmen burst into southern Israel on 7 October, killing 1,200 people and taking 252 others back to Gaza as hostages.
More than 35,000 Palestinian have been killed since then, according to the Hama-run health ministry figures.
Aid deliveries to the territory have slowed since Israeli forces took control of Gaza's side of the Rafah crossing.
Earlier this month, the Kerem Shalom crossing was temporarily closed by Israel, following the deaths of four soldiers in a Hamas rocket attack near the crossing.
Delivering aid to Gaza via land routes is fraught with danger, as aid convoys are sometimes looted by gangs and overwhelmed by desperate civilians.
In April, an Israeli drone strike killed seven aid workers from the organization World Central Kitchen
