Israeli Troops to Provide Protection for Gaza Aid Pier

Latest Developments

Israel agreed on March 26 to provide security for U.S. military personnel building a temporary pier to deliver humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, Politico reported. The plan, which Israel and the United States have not yet finalized, would see the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) create a “security bubble” around the pier, said a U.S. official. This perimeter would protect personnel constructing the facility as well as aid workers offloading and distributing aid. The U.S.-led project is one of several collaborations between Israel and the international community — which include coordinating airdrops and ground transportation — for aid deliveries to Gazan civilians while Israeli forces conduct military operations against the Iran-backed Hamas terrorist organization.

On March 12, Israel announced that it opened a new land-based aid route, called Gate 96, for humanitarian aid going directly into northern Gaza, where the United Nations says the humanitarian situation is particularly dire. Israel reported that, by March 20, 86 aid trucks had passed through the new crossing. In addition to alleviating the humanitarian crisis, Israel hopes the new route can circumvent Hamas’s efforts to steal aid from Gazans.

Expert Analysis

“Israel is fighting a genocidal terrorist regime that has ruled Gaza unchallenged since 2007. What this means in practice is that the terrorists have infiltrated every aspect of civilian life, hijacking schools, mosques, and humanitarian aid organizations. Consequently, as the Hamas government has crumbled, so has much of the civilian infrastructure, leaving a void that has yet to be filled.” — Enia Krivine, Senior Director of FDD’s Israel Program and National Security Network

“Israel continues to demonstrate that there is no lack of aid flowing into Gaza and that it will go above and beyond to facilitate deliveries. The focus now should be on aid distribution via non-Hamas affiliated networks.” — Richard Goldberg, FDD Senior Advisor

Attempts to Deliver Aid by Air and Sea

Aid donors have recently tested various distribution tactics beyond land-based routes, including airdrops and seaborne aid deliveries. On March 18, Gaza received its first seaborne delivery of food and other humanitarian supplies via an international coalition. On March 25, the United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force airdropped 10 tons of food aid into Gaza. During the first three weeks of March, allied partners delivered the equivalent of about 50 truckloads of aid by air and sea — far less than the number of aid trucks crossing into Gaza each day.

Israel Says UN and Aid Organizations Delaying Distribution

IDF Col. Moshe Tetro, head of the Israeli army team that inspects aid convoys transiting into Gaza, said on March 22, “The bottleneck of this chain does not lie with the IDF.” Rather, the Israeli army facilitates “the entrance of humanitarian aid into Gaza,” but other organizations are responsible for its distribution. Israel said it approves almost 99 percent of aid trucks crossing into Gaza during its inspection process. “But the UN and other international organizations have some bottlenecks regarding the amount of trucks, amount of truck drivers, manpower, [and] working hours,” Tetro said. He added that Israel is “doing everything that we can to enlarge the capacity of humanitarian aid going into Gaza.”

Related Analysis

“Humanitarian Aid Arrives in Gaza Via New Maritime Corridor,” FDD Flash Brief

“Israel Facilitates Entry of Six Aid Trucks Into Northern Gaza,” FDD Flash Brief

“Hamas Warns Gazans Against Cooperating With Israel on Aid Delivery,” FDD Flash Brief

“Biden to Announce U.S.-Built Gaza Aid Pier at State of the Union,” FDD Flash Brief