Biden administration secures key agreement for aid distribution from US military pier being built off Gaza coast
Source: CNN Politics
Published 11:32 AM EDT, Fri April 19, 2024
CNN — The Biden administration has secured an agreement with a major UN agency to distribute aid from the pier the US military is constructing off the coast of Gaza, two senior US officials told CNN – a key development as the US and its allies have rushed to finalize plans for how desperately needed humanitarian aid will be distributed inside the war-torn strip.
The US military is expected to finish constructing the pier early next month. The World Food Programme (WFP) will support distribution of aid from the pier following weeks of diplomatic wrangling, multiple officials familiar with the matter told CNN. “Weeks of coordination and interaction with WFP, UN agencies that are responsible for security and other decision making, have all yielded a situation in which WFP will take on this work,” one of the senior US officials said.
The US role in the effort has been complex, with the military carrying out a high-stakes construction mission in a warzone and diplomats helping to organize a dangerous and highly politicized aid distribution operation. And as the US military is beginning to set up in the eastern Mediterranean, a private American company is eyeing a similar operation nearby that will also need security and some help from the UN.
The logistics have been particularly complicated because no US troops will be on the ground in Gaza — something President Joe Biden ruled out when announcing the pier last month.
Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/19/politics/biden-administration-gaza-pier-distribution-agreement/index.html
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