Gaza war: as ceasefire talks break down the humanitarian crisis continues to escalate

By Sarah Schiffling, Hanken School of Economics, Foteini Stavropoulou, Liverpool John Moores University

As Gaza ceasefire talks hang in the balance, Israel has launched its assault on Rafah in the south of the strip, despite the remaining presence of nearly a million Palestinian civilians in the city. The Israel Defense Forces have reported taking control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing, a main entry point for humanitarian aid.

The other main border crossing, Kerem Shalom, has come under rocket attacks by Hamas which continue daily. According to the latest statement from the UN’s humanitarian office both crossings remain closed: “The two main arteries for getting aid into Gaza are currently choked off,” a UN spokesperson told Reuters: “If no fuel comes in for a prolonged period of time it would be a very effective way of putting the humanitarian operation in its grave.”

So now the main ways to get aid into Gaza have been shut down. This raises the pressure on US plans to complete its temporary pier off the coast of Gaza to receive aid. This is still some way off being operational.

There were hopes that the pier may be completed and become operational by the weekend of May 4-5. On May 1, the Pentagon announced that it was about 50% completed.

But due to rough seas, assembly had to be moved to the Israeli port of Ashdod, 40kms north of the Gaza Strip. The safety of the US soldiers involved in the pier’s construction is also a concern.

The construction cost approximately US$320 million (£255 million). The 549-metre causeway, which has been named the Trident Pier, will consist of modular sections anchored to the shoreline. The US military is also building a floating platform, 82 metres long and 23 metres wide, about three miles off Gaza’s coast.

Pallets of humanitarian aid undergo inspection before being loaded on to commercial ships in Cyprus. On the floating platform, pallets are transferred onto smaller boats for transport through shallow water to the causeway.

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