U.S. military personnel are scrambling to build a temporary floating dock off Gaza to help distribute food and other aid to Palestinians by way of the sea, a new route for supplies after months of Israel's intense restrictions on aid delivered by land.
President Joe Biden announced the assistance to Gaza during his State of the Union Thursday night, as Army personnel were already pulling plans and equipment together. On Friday, Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, a Pentagon spokesperson, told reporters it would take over 1,000 soldiers weeks to create the structure.
Biden said there will be no U.S. forces in Gaza for the mission, which will likely involve other allies, contractors and aid agencies.
Israeli forces have blocked routes and slowed aid deliveries for inspections over the five months since the war started after Hamas militants killed around 1,200 people in Israel and took 250 people hostage on Oct. 7.
TVNL Comment: Starvation is an illegal weapon of war. Civilian punishment is an illegal act of war. There is no declared war against Palestinians. Netanyahu will pay.
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