U.S. President Joe Biden will announce in his State of the Union address on Thursday night that he has directed U.S. forces to build a port in Gaza to provide much-needed aid to Palestinians stranded by Israel’s military campaign against Hamas.

A senior administration official said the port’s main feature is a temporary terminal that will be able to transport hundreds of additional truckloads of aid each day, with the first shipments to be made through Cyprus with support from the U.S. military and a coalition of partners and allies. . briefing reporters on Thursday.

“We will coordinate with Israel on land security requirements and work with the United Nations and humanitarian NGOs Distribution of aid within Gaza,” the official said. “This new important function will take weeks to plan and execute. The troops needed to accomplish this mission are either already in the area or about to begin moving there. ”

The official said there would be no American boots on the ground in Gaza. Instead, the U.S. military will use its “unique capabilities” to build facilities from the sea.

“The concept in the plan involves the presence of U.S. military personnel on offshore ships, but does not require U.S. military personnel to come ashore to install pier or causeway facilities to transport humanitarian aid ashore,” a senior defense official said at the same time. at a press conference.

Last week, Biden ordered U.S. troops to join other countries in airdropping aid, noting the “tragic and shocking events in northern Gaza” when Israeli troops opened fire while a group of Palestinians scrambled to get from an aid convoy food. More than 100 people died in the chaos.

“People are so desperate — innocent people caught up in a horrific war, unable to feed their families, and you see their reaction when they try to get aid,” Biden said in a rare denunciation of Israel.

Despite warnings from U.N. experts that the situation in Gaza is dire and close to famine, Israel insists on inspections, slowing aid delivery and growing frustration within the government.

“We are not waiting for the Israelis. This is a time for American leadership and we are building a coalition of countries to address this urgent need,” another senior administration official also said during a briefing with reporters.

Biden will also address Congress to highlight the plight of Israeli hostages held by Hamas and push for a temporary ceasefire ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which begins this weekend, officials said. The government says responsibility for the deal rests with U.S.-designated terrorist groups.

“We recognize that extremists may try to use Ramadan to cause some very unfortunate things to happen during Ramadan, and we want to make sure that we have a peaceful period so that people can worship,” the first senior administration official said. Whether a deal can be reached by then remains uncertain.