The first US military vessel carrying construction supplies to build a temporary dock along the Gazan coast set off from Virginia Saturday, headed toward the Middle East. It marks the first step of a plan to directly deliver humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza, announced by President Joe Biden during Thursday's State of the Union.
Reports suggest it may take as long as two months and involve as many as 1,000 troops to get to operational status. The territory currently has no functioning port, making ocean delivery of aid nearly impossible, and ground-based deliveries have become increasingly dangerous. Western nations have resorted to airdropping aid into high-population areas. The structure is expected to be a floating pier capable of unloading 2 million meals per day.
International groups have said large swaths of the nearly 2.3 million people in Gaza face starvation. The effort comes as many Muslims begin observing the holy month of Ramadan (see overview).
See updates on the war here.
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