European Leaders to Deliver Aid to Gaza by Ship, Criticizing U.S. Maritime Plans
In response to President Biden’s announcement of maritime aid delivery to the Gaza Strip, European leaders have revealed their plans to deliver aid by ship as early as this weekend. However, aid groups and Gaza officials have criticized shipments by air or sea as too cumbersome, urging for more food and medicine to be supplied by trucks.
The United Nations has warned of the dire situation in Gaza, with hundreds of thousands of residents on the brink of starvation due to five months of war and an Israeli blockade. Various proposals have been made to speed up the delivery of essential supplies, but Israel insists on inspecting all incoming supplies, allowing aid trucks through just two border crossings.
President Biden outlined a U.S. military plan to build a floating pier on Gaza’s Mediterranean coast to facilitate the delivery of food, water, medicine, and other necessities. However, U.S. officials have stated that the project will take at least 30 to 60 days to complete, raising concerns about the immediate need for aid in Gaza.
Aid groups like Doctors Without Borders have criticized the U.S. maritime plans as a distraction, emphasizing that the delivery of aid is a political issue rather than a logistical one. They urge Israel to facilitate the flow of supplies into Gaza rather than block it.
European leaders, including Britain, the European Union, and the United Arab Emirates, have pledged to join the U.S. maritime effort. The first ship carrying aid could depart from Cyprus for Gaza soon, with more to follow on Sunday. However, the logistics of unloading cargo and distributing aid amid Israeli bombardment and attacks on aid trucks remain challenging.
Efforts to deliver aid to Gaza have been further complicated by recent incidents, including the deaths of Palestinians struck by packages of humanitarian aid dropped from an aircraft. The chaos and desperation in Gaza have underscored the urgent need for increased aid delivery through all possible routes.
As plans for maritime aid delivery progress, the hope is that more supplies will reach the people of Gaza in need, alleviating the dire humanitarian crisis in the region.
