US to begin Gaza aid pier construction 'very soon'
The Peninsula
Washington: The United States will begin construction very soon on a pier to boost deliveries of desperately needed aid toGaza, the Pentagon said Tu...
Washington: The United States will begin construction "very soon" on a pier to boost deliveries of desperately needed aid to Gaza, the Pentagon said Tuesday.
Gaza -- a small coastal territory -- has been devastated by more than six months of Israeli bombardment and ground operations against Hamas fighters, leaving the civilian population in need of humanitarian assistance to survive.
"All the necessary vessels are within the Mediterranean region and standing by," Pentagon spokesman Major General Pat Ryder told journalists, referring to the watercraft carrying equipment for the pier project.
"We are positioned to begin construction very soon," Ryder added.
The facility will consist of an offshore platform for the transfer of aid from larger to smaller vessels, and a pier to bring it ashore.
