Pentagon says first shipments to enter Gaza via US aid pier ‘in the coming days’

WASHINGTON — In the coming days, the US military in the eastern Mediterranean is expected to jab one end of a hulking metal dock — the length of five US football fields — into a beach in northern Gaza.

Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, says that humanitarian groups are ready for the first shipments through the US maritime route. “In the coming days, you can expect to see this effort underway. And we are confident that that we will be able to, working with our NGO partners, ensure that aid can be delivered,” he says.

Ophir Falk, foreign policy adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, says Israel has enabled the entrance of thousands of aid trucks into Gaza and will continue to do so. He repeats accusations that Hamas is disrupting aid distribution by hijacking and attacking convoys. US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller asserted earlier this month that there’s only been one major incident of Hamas commandeering aid trucks.

The Israeli military says in a statement that it will keep acting in line with international law to distribute aid to Gaza. It also has previously said there are no limits on aid, it is trying to keep crossings open despite Hamas attacks and has blamed the UN for problems with distribution.