President Joe Biden is directing the U.S. military to build a temporary pier on the coast of Gaza to allow in more humanitarian aid.
Biden announced the plan during his third State of the Union address Thursday, adding that this doesn’t mean U.S. troops will be on the ground there.
“Israel must allow more aid into Gaza and ensure humanitarian workers aren’t caught in the crossfire,” he said.
The Biden administration has been working to establish a six-week ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war that is now in its fifth month.
Since militant group Hamas on Oct. 7 led an attack on Israel that left over 1,200 dead and hundreds kidnapped, Israel has responded with a bombardment and ground invasion of Gaza that has left over 30,000 dead, at least 25,000 women and children, and caused a humanitarian crisis that has left much of the population without food and medicine.
Addressing Israeli leadership, Biden said “humanitarian assistance cannot be a secondary consideration or a bargaining chip. Protecting and saving innocent lives has to be a priority.
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