Joe Biden will announce that U.S. forces will build a temporary port on the Gaza coast to increase humanitarian aid to the region.
The move will be announced during the President’s State of the Union address on Thursday.
Officials said the operation would not require U.S. troops to be on site to build the pier, which is designed to transport more food, medicine and other essential goods.
Officials have not revealed details about how the terminal will be built, but they said the U.S. military has a “unique capability” to work “offshore.”
Five months of fighting between Israel and Hamas has left much of Hamas-controlled Gaza in ruins and led to a worsening humanitarian disaster.
The United States began airdropping humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip on Saturday in an effort to ease the ongoing humanitarian crisis caused by the conflict.
Biden said at the time that the United States was working to “open up other avenues” to provide aid, “including the possibility of establishing maritime corridors to provide substantial humanitarian assistance.”
He added: “The aid flowing to Gaza now is not nearly enough – not nearly enough. Innocent lives are at risk, children’s lives are at risk.”
Gen. Eric Kurilla, commander of U.S. Central Command, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that he had briefed officials on the maritime option.
Today, the United States conducted its third airdrop in northern Gaza, where there is no Israeli presence. Mr. Kurila said Central Command has offered the option of increasing the number of trucks delivering aid to those areas.
According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, at least 576,000 people in Gaza – a quarter of the enclave’s population – are one step away from famine.
Since the war broke out on October 7, Israel has banned food, water, medicine and other supplies from entering Gaza, except for a small amount of aid entering the south from Egypt’s Rafah crossing and Israel’s Kerem Shalom crossing.
The United Nations faces “enormous obstacles” in providing aid to Gaza.
Announcement on plans to build temporary construction sites port Hamas said its delegation had left Cairo and talks on a ceasefire and hostage release would resume next week, making it highly unlikely that mediators could reach a deal before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Mediators had viewed Ramadan as an unofficial deadline because the dawn-to-dusk fasting month often results in Israeli and Palestinian violence related to access to Jerusalem’s main holy sites. The war has put the wider region on edge, with Iran-backed groups fighting Israel and the United States.
Egyptian officials earlier said talks had stalled over Hamas’ demands for a phased end to the war. But they did not rule out the possibility of reaching a deal before Ramadan, which is expected to begin on Sunday.
Hamas spokesman Jihad Taha said Israel “rejects commitments and guarantees for a ceasefire, the return of displaced persons and the withdrawal of troops from the invaded areas”. But he said talks were ongoing and would resume next week. There was no immediate comment from Israel.
Additional reporting by The Associated Press.
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