The US’s artificial island is expected to be completed and operating by early May, according to IDF sources.
The artificial island, or Joint Logistics Over the Shore (JLOTS) pier, has been in the works since it was announced by US President Joe Biden in his State of the Union address on March 7.
At the time, the announcement caught many Israeli officials by surprise and it was the start of a series of moves of Washington injecting itself more forcefully into the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
Late Sunday, the IDF provided the following statement regarding security over the construction and operation of the island:
“The IDF, through the coordination of COGAT, has approved collaborative efforts for the new Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore (JLOTS) initiative led by the United States Central Command (CENTCOM). The initiative will create an enhanced ship-to-shore distribution system to increase the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
The IDF will operate to provide security and logistics support for the JLOTS initiative, which includes the establishment of a temporary floating pier to deliver humanitarian aid from the sea into Gaza.
The IDF’s involvement in the JLOTS initiative is one of many humanitarian aid efforts, further demonstrating the IDF’s commitment to working with the international community to ensure the continuous entry of humanitarian aid to the civilian population in the Gaza Strip.”
It was expected that the new aid would speed up toppling Hamas
But shortly after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu noted he had offered the possibility back in October 2023 (though at the time he was trying to use it to stave off having to open land aid crossings), and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on March 10 that the new US maritime Gaza humanitarian aid program would speed up toppling Hamas.
The challenge of getting the JLOTS going connects to why it may also get up and running relatively quickly.
A series of large US naval vessels have been making their way slowly across the Atlantic, but when they arrive, in the upcoming days, they have essentially all of the equipment and materials needed to establish the temporary island off Gaza.
The island is expected to be an addition to land aid efforts
Now that Gaza is bringing in over 500 trucks of aid per day from around four land crossings according to Israeli officials, the island will not replace, but complement the land aid efforts.
It will also help connect Gaza to the world in ways that it has been cut off since Israel imposed a blockade on Hamas when the group routed Fatah from the Strip in 2007.
The pier is expected to be around 550 meters long and wide enough to carry two lanes of trucks.
Given the Gazan coast’s shallow waters, the US Navy will facilitate the operation by running short ferry rounds bringing the trucks from roll-on/roll-off ships to the pier, with around 1,000 US military personnel expected to be involved.
IDF sources said there are special efforts to try to protect the pier and the US soldiers from Hamas.
Cyprus will also play a critical role in ferrying aid between the pier and Israel.
The artificial island will be going up just as a new flotilla may arrive from Turkey seeking to bring aid directly to Gazans without Israeli inspections.
Prior flotilla attempts have led to arrests and even altercations, with around 10 flotilla passengers dying in fights with IDF soldiers in 2010 (several soldiers were wounded, but none were killed.)
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