Why is the US setting up temporary port off Gaza for aid deliveries?

The pier, which could take 60 days to build, might not be an effective solution to the urgent aid crisis in Gaza.

President Joe Biden has said the United States will set up a temporary pier off Gaza to deliver humanitarian supplies to the besieged enclave as Palestinians begin to starve during Israel’s blockade of the strip.

On Sunday, a US military ship carrying the equipment required for initial construction work on the structure departed for Gaza, according to the US military’s Central Command.

The move comes as the US has been airdropping aid amid looming famine in Gaza, which has been devastated by more than five months of Israeli bombardment, ground operations and siege. Aid agencies said the airdrops are not sufficient due to the scale of the crisis. More than 31,000 people have been killed in Gaza, and up to 70 percent of its homes have been destroyed or damaged.

Here is what we know so far about the Gaza pier and how effective it could be:

In his State of the Union address on Thursday, Biden said the pier would be able to “receive large shipments carrying food, water, medicine and temporary shelter”. According to Biden, the reason for the construction is to allow “a massive increase in the amount of humanitarian assistance getting into Gaza every day”.