The United States-led maritime aid corridor to the Gaza Strip is about to start operating, according to officials.
US service members have installed a floating temporary pier to funnel food directly into Gaza, rather than using seaport infrastructure in Israel or Egypt, US Maritime Executive reported.
The final stage of installation started overnight on Wednesday and was completed on Thursday morning after months of work on the project.
USAID response director Dan Dieckhaus said food aid deliveries would begin in one to two days.
A pair of US Navy destroyers would be located near the pier to provide protection, a Pentagon spokesman said on Wednesday. However, the White House pledged that there would be no American boots on the ground in Gaza.
"The United States and Israel have developed an integrated security plan to protect all the personnel who are working," Vice Admiral Brad Cooper of the US Navy’s Central Command told the Associated Press.
"We are confident in the ability of this security arrangement to protect those involved."
The military sealift command ship, USNS Roy P. Benavidez, will make the first delivery of about 170 tonnes of food aid. Thousands of tonnes more would then be delivered via a staging point in Cyprus, US officials said.
The cost of the operation is estimated to be about $320 million.
