WASHINGTON (NewsNation) — President Joe Biden is expected to announce a plan in his State of the Union address Thursday for the U.S. military to help establish a temporary port on the Gaza coast, increasing the flow of humanitarian aid for the territory during the Israel-Hamas war, according to administration officials.
The White House said this will facilitate the delivery of hundreds of additional truckloads of shipments of food, medicine and other essentials daily.
Notably, the administration emphasized that this operation will not require American troops to build the pier, stating, “We are not planning for this to be an operation that would require U.S. boots on the ground.”
This will be executed from offshore, utilizing military personnel on military vessels. The move provides one more layer to the extraordinary dynamic that’s emerged as the United States has had to go around Israel, its main Mideast ally, and find ways to get aid into Gaza, including through airdrops.
The Pentagon is expected to provide further details on the number of U.S. military personnel involved. Some are already in the region, while others will be deployed soon.
Biden last week first raised the idea of establishing a “marine corridor,” saying the U.S. was working with allies on how it might provide assistance from the sea to those in Gaza.
American Gen. Erik Kurilla, head of U.S. Central Command, told the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee he had briefed officials on such a maritime option. Also Thursday, the U.S. conducted a third airdrop in the northern part of Gaza, where there is no Israeli presence. Kurilla said Central Command has provided options for increasing the number of trucks taking aid to those areas.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.