A new US-run pier off Gaza could help deliver 2 million meals a day – but it comes with security risks
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Tara Sonenshine, Tufts University
(THE CONVERSATION) The U.S. has dispatched eight Army and Navy vessels from Virginia to build a temporary pier off the coast of the Gaza Strip. The aim of this work: to supply food and other necessary items for Palestinians as the war between Israel and Hamas continues and the resulting humanitarian crisis worsens.
Even before Oct. 7, 2023, and the massacre by Hamas of Israeli citizens that sparked the war, about 80% of Palestinians in Gaza relied on foreign humanitarian assistance to meet their basic needs, including food. Now, the United Nations is warning that half of Palestinians in Gaza face famine within the next few months.
The new pier, which is expected to be operational sometime in May 2024, could help deliver 2 million meals a...