US confirms first aid trucks arrive via Gaza pier
US confirms first aid trucks arrive via Gaza pier
It marks the opening of a new route for humanitarian aid to reach the stricken Gaza Strip.
The first shipment of humanitarian aid has arrived in Gaza via a temporary floating pier, the US military has confirmed.
US Central Command said aid trucks had begun moving ashore at about 09:00 local time (07:00 BST) on Friday.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said 8,400 plastic shelters had been delivered. About 500 tonnes of British aid including tents, hygiene kits and forklift trucks is expected to reach Gaza via the pier, built by US armed forces, in the coming weeks.
However, Mr Sunak said the maritime route was "not the only answer" to 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."
Huh, they got this thing in place and operational in two months, that's impressive. I definitely thought it was going to take longer.
one of the few things that marks a super power is having (reletively) good logistics. almost all major corporations that sell products have to master logistics.
Shame they can't do anything to curtail the indiscriminate slaughter of innocent people
I heard on NPR that a lot of the key ships and equipment the army used were almost decommissioned in 2019. The last time they were used was in Haiti in 2010.
Hopefully this convinces army brass to make the investment to maintain this capability.
And how many shipments of weapons to Israel in that two months?
You mean between March and May of 2024? None so far as I can tell, though it's hard to find specific information. HR 8034 passed the House on 20 Apr 2024, if that's what you're referring to, but it hasn't passed the Senate or been signed into law yet, and in any case it is a funds appropriation bill meaning that all it does is earmark some money from the federal budget for the purpose of military aid - no material has been shipped yet based on this bill, nor will be for awhile.
Plastic shelters and hygiene kits are well and good but how about food and potable water?
Since this is the first arrival I imagine it was more about setting up a command location and creating temporary shelters for people to be right by where the aid would be provided.
That said… what would also be more helpful is if we stopped providing weapons and ammo to Israel until they agree to properly negotiate and come to some kind of an agreement that keeps Palestinians from being shifted, moved and displaced while simultaneously bombing them at free will. It seems weird that we’re both selling the bombs to the attacker and providing the aid to the attacked.
It seems weird that we’re both selling the bombs to the attacker and providing the aid to the attacked.
It makes perfect sense as a way to create plausible deniability while factually supporting the genocide. Also isn't it convenient to have a makeshift pier there, to start landing troops or to go from there to exploit the gas fields in front of Gaza, ones the opportunity arises?
Sorry Israel say those aren't allowed
Sounds like Israel still decides what gets to continue once it's off the pier. Which doesn't do anything different from when it's just blocked on the border
opens shipment to only find bombs
Israel opens weapons crate to find food and soap
But will an inspection by the IDF take hours, days?
Smokes and mirrors?The inspections are happening in Cyprus before the trucks are shipped to the pier to be unloaded. The trucks unloading at the pier are already past the inspection point.
Therefore not smoke and mirrors because the potential delay you're talking about is already past, and the aid is currently being delivered.