The UN World Food Programme has agreed to assist in delivering aid to the starving civilians of Gaza once a pier for transporting humanitarian assistance by sea, constructed by the US military, is completed, according to US officials on Friday.
The involvement of the UN agency could potentially resolve a significant hurdle facing the US-planned project, which is the reluctance of aid groups to handle on-the-ground distribution of essential goods in Gaza without substantial changes by Israel.
An Israeli military attack on April 1 resulted in the deaths of seven aid workers from the World Central Kitchen, intensifying international criticism of Israel for its failure to ensure the security of humanitarian workers or allow sufficient aid across its land borders.
In response to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, President Joe Biden announced on March 8 that the US military would build the temporary pier and causeway as an alternative to land routes. The US Agency for International Development (USAID) confirmed its partnership with the WFP for delivering humanitarian assistance to
