American ship heads to Gaza with supplies for floating pier to receive humanitarian aid

An American ship left Newport News, Va., on Thursday loaded with supplies to construct a floating pier that would allow the maritime provision of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, which has been besieged by Israeli forces amid their ongoing conflict with Hamas.

The thin coastal strip is under the control of the terrorist organization, which conducted a major raid on Israeli territory in October of last year that led to the current fighting. The territory is home to millions and the Israeli invasion has attracted international scrutiny over the reported civilian death toll and worsening humanitarian situation.

The MV Roy P. Benavidez is carrying supplies to construct the Joint Logistics-Over-the-Shore (JLOTS), the construction of which could take up to two months and require roughly 1,000 troops to complete, The Hill reported.

"JLOTS is a critical capability that allows ship-to-shore cargo distribution in the absence of a usable pier. It can be used to augment an established port or to create a pier where one is needed, and allows us to support areas where large populations are isolated from food, water, and other forms of humanitarian aid," said Army Lt. Gen. John P. Sullivan.

Earlier this month, the first supplies for the pier departed aboard the U.S. Army Vessel General Frank S. Besson. The U.S. has already begun airdrops of humanitarian supplies, though adequately provisioning the densely-populated region has proved difficult and dangerous.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.