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The Biden administration is looking to the sea as it tries to rush more humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza — a development that underscores growing U.S. tensions with Israel.
President Joe Biden raised the maritime option in recent days as the U.S. began airdropping food into the tiny territory, a process that allows for only limited deliveries at a time. On Monday, top U.S. officials discussed what will likely be a challenging effort to establish a corridor via water to increase distribution.
“We are in discussion with a number of partners about this initiative, and while it is still in the development phase, we are optimistic about its potential to supplement our air and land efforts,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters. “It’s a matter that we are exploring with commercial partners as well as other partners in the region.”
The maritime option, U.S. and European officials say, is effectively what Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides proposed last year. He confirmed Sunday that his country, which sits about 230 miles from Gaza by sea, was in talks with the U.S. about setting up the route.
“We are discussing this with the U.S. and I hope that we will soon be able to announce something concrete,” Christodoulides said.
Gaza has a coast but limited port infrastructure, making it difficult for ships to dock. The fact that the U.S. is considering a maritime option is a sign of how dire the humanitarian situation has grown for the 2.2 million Palestinians trapped there amid Israel’s military campaign to root out Hamas militants.
The delivery of food via sea and air underscores American frustration with Israel, and also suggests that the U.S. efforts to use rhetoric and personal appeals to persuade Israeli leaders to do more to help Palestinian civilians has largely failed.
Ursula von der Leyen, who leads the EU’s European Commission, said Monday the EU would support the Cypriot effort. “Swift action is needed” in Gaza, she wrote on social media.
The Israeli government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has allowed aid trucks to enter Gaza through land borders, but the numbers are far below what aid groups say is needed, and many Palestinians are severely short on food.
”While over 100 trucks a day of humanitarian assistance are now being distributed to those in need, this level is still significantly below the levels needed to meet minimum requirements to avert famine,” Miller said.
Last week, dozens of Palestinians were killed as they rushed toward an aid convoy of trucks in Gaza. A stampede was involved, but Israeli troops are also reported to have fired on some of the Palestinians.
A spokesperson for the Israeli embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the U.S. maritime plans.
U.S. Agency for International Development chief Samantha Power noted Monday on social media, following conversations with aid workers, that there’s a “need for Israel to do much more to get aid to those who desperately need it.”
White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby agreed with that assessment.
“There have been some incidents where they have not been either able or willing, or maybe both, to keep the trucks going at an increased level,” he told reporters. “Israel bears a responsibility here to do more.”
