Live updates: Follow the latest news on Israel-Gaza
The US said on Friday that about 1,000 soldiers would be posted close to Gaza’s coastline to build a floating pier to send aid to the shores of the heavily bombarded enclave.
Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in besieged Gaza face starvation after highly stringent and slow inspections of aid lorries by Israeli forces at land crossings, chiefly Rafah on the Egypt-Gaza border. For months, aid deliveries have been a fraction of the strip's food requirements.
Air Force Maj Gen Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, said the pier construction could take anywhere from weeks to 60 days.
The pier, known as a Trident, forms part of the Joint Logistics Over the Shore capability, or JLOTS, and will be built by the US Army, rather than the Navy. JLOTS refers to the US military's requirement to rapidly access land with supplies in regions hit by war or disaster, where ports are not functioning.
The US Army operates a fleet of about 134 ships – almost the size of the Spanish navy – under its Transportation Corps.
The EU and UAE will also play a central role in bringing aid to Gaza by sea through Cyprus, with trial operations expected to start within days.
One issue is that Gaza’s port is damaged and lacks the capacity for large-scale aid operations. Gaza needs about 4,000 tonnes of food a week, the World Food Programme said, but the tonnage of required supplies could be significantly higher, when including medicine, tents and blankets.
In the coming Gaza operation, the 7th Transportation Brigade will, the Pentagon said, send “a floating pier, an approximately 1,800-foot-long causeway that will be attached to the shore, and a group of logistic support vessels and barges that will transport the aid from the pier to the causeway”.
The use of the US Army in a maritime aid operation represents a departure from more common US aid operations at sea, that utilise ships from the US Marine Corps, which have delivered aid in disaster zones from the Gulf Coast following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, to Japan, during the 2011 earthquake.
By contrast, the huge JLOTS logistical system has seldom been used in humanitarian operations, although the Pentagon said the most recent posting was Exercise Talisman Sabre, a large-scale joint defence exercise between Australia and the US.
In armed conflicts, JLOTS was posted during the 1991 Gulf War between US-led coalition forces and Iraq, following the invasion of Kuwait, and the 2003 Iraq invasion.
It was considered for humanitarian operations in Somalia, but rough seas and a long journey for aid resupply halted its use.
The system came into its own following the 2010 Haiti earthquake, when Port-au-Prince was severely damaged, leaving about 1.6 million homeless people in urgent need of aid and medical assistance, but with no rapid route for aid agencies to assist.
The US government said “8,400 twenty-foot equivalent container units (TEU) were offloaded”, by the temporary pier, each with a 24 ton capacity. Half of that – 100,000 tonnes – was food aid.
The Haiti operation, Unified Response, was hindered by the large distance between the devastated island and US ports, but US amphibious vessels were able to land on the beach and deliver aid and equipment while the port was under repair.
That will not be possible in Gaza, where the US has stressed it will not be posting forces on the shore.
When operational, the pier will be able to handle thousands of tonnes of aid a day. Much of that may come from an aid hub in Larnaca, Cyprus, which has an aid storage capacity of 200,000 tonnes.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
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More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
2.0
Director: S Shankar
Producer: Lyca Productions; presented by Dharma Films
Cast: Rajnikanth, Akshay Kumar, Amy Jackson, Sudhanshu Pandey
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
1,000 Books to Read Before You Die: A Life-Changing List
James Mustich, Workman
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Fourth-round clashes for British players
- Andy Murray (1) v Benoit Paire, Centre Court (not before 4pm)
- Johanna Konta (6) v Caroline Garcia (21), Court 1 (4pm)
Takreem Awards winners 2021
Corporate Leadership: Carl Bistany (Lebanon)
Cultural Excellence: Hoor Al Qasimi (UAE)
Environmental Development and Sustainability: Bkerzay (Lebanon)
Environmental Development and Sustainability: Raya Ani (Iraq)
Humanitarian and Civic Services: Women’s Programs Association (Lebanon)
Humanitarian and Civic Services: Osamah Al Thini (Libya)
Excellence in Education: World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) (Qatar)
Outstanding Arab Woman: Balghis Badri (Sudan)
Scientific and Technological Achievement: Mohamed Slim Alouini (KSA)
Young Entrepreneur: Omar Itani (Lebanon)
Lifetime Achievement: Suad Al Amiry (Palestine)
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Brief scores:
Huesca 0
Real Madrid 1
Bale 8'
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
What is Reform?
Reform is a right-wing, populist party led by Nigel Farage, a former MEP who won a seat in the House of Commons last year at his eighth attempt and a prominent figure in the campaign for the UK to leave the European Union.
It was founded in 2018 and originally called the Brexit Party.
Many of its members previously belonged to UKIP or the mainstream Conservatives.
After Brexit took place, the party focused on the reformation of British democracy.
Former Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson became its first MP after defecting in March 2024.
The party gained support from Elon Musk, and had hoped the tech billionaire would make a £100m donation. However, Mr Musk changed his mind and called for Mr Farage to step down as leader in a row involving the US tycoon's support for far-right figurehead Tommy Robinson who is in prison for contempt of court.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Checks continue
A High Court judge issued an interim order on Friday suspending a decision by Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots to direct a stop to Brexit agri-food checks at Northern Ireland ports.
Mr Justice Colton said he was making the temporary direction until a judicial review of the minister's unilateral action this week to order a halt to port checks that are required under the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Civil servants have yet to implement the instruction, pending legal clarity on their obligations, and checks are continuing.
PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Favourite things
Luxury: Enjoys window shopping for high-end bags and jewellery
Discount: She works in luxury retail, but is careful about spending, waits for sales, festivals and only buys on discount
University: The only person in her family to go to college, Jiang secured a bachelor’s degree in business management in China
Masters: Studying part-time for a master’s degree in international business marketing in Dubai
Vacation: Heads back home to see family in China
Community work: Member of the Chinese Business Women’s Association of the UAE to encourage other women entrepreneurs
Match info
Karnataka Tuskers 110-3
J Charles 35, M Pretorius 1-19, Z Khan 0-16
Deccan Gladiators 111-5 in 8.3 overs
K Pollard 45*, S Zadran 2-18
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
