The United States’ plan to deliver aid to Gaza via a maritime corridor hit a major hurdle this week, as United Nations agencies resisted pressure from Washington to distribute the life-saving goods, citing concerns they could be seen to be collaborating with the Israeli Defense Forces.
The Biden administration has been pressing U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres and the heads of U.N. agencies, including the World Food Programme, UNICEF, and the World Health Organization, to participate in a U.S.- and Israeli-led plan to ratchet up humanitarian assistance in Gaza.
By the end of the month, the U.S. Navy plans to erect a sea bridge, or jetty, in southern Gaza to speed up the delivery of assistance in Gaza, facing famine after six months of intense Israeli restrictions on assistance. The Israel Defense Forces plan to provide a security perimeter around the drop-off point, offload the goods, and hand them off to workers contracted by the U.N. agencies.