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Israel-Gaza War, Humanitarian Aid

Report: Europeans lukewarm on Biden's Gaza aid port idea, don't believe it can meet needs

Kann 11 news reporter Roi Kais reports that European diplomats are skeptical of Biden's plan to establish a temporary port near the Gaza coast to directly aid Gazan civilians. The UAE, on the other hand, is enthusiastic.

U.S. Army Vessel General Frank S. Besson embarking for the Gaza Stirp with port equipment.

European diplomats are saying behind closed doors that President Biden's plan to establish a temporary port near the Gaza Strip to massively increase aid to Gazan civilians won't be enough, according to Kann 11 News reporter Roi Kais.

According to the report, the diplomats believe the aid route is too slow and insufficient to provide for the million and a half Gazan civilians in need of regular provision of food and other supplies.

Kais said that the UAE, which has greatly increased its efforts to aid the Gazan civilian population, is satisfied with the move, though it concedes that there are still serious questions about getting the food to Gazans and distributing it, due to multiple allegations that Hamas steals the aid for its own purposes.

Yigal Carmon, President of Arab media translation organization MEMRI and an observer of the Middle East for decades, argues in a daily brief that President Biden's proposal to build a temporary port off the Gaza coast to provide Palestinians with aid is a "miracle."

Carmon stated that by bypassing Hamas (which he said steals aid and then resells it to maintain itself), Qatar and Iran - as well as Egypt, which makes money off bribes to get aid in - America's direct provision of aid will help to strengthen the anti-Iran and anti-Hamas axis.

He also argued that the project will help reduce civilian casualties during any operation in Rafah, since the civilian population will now move to the port area rather than Hamas-controlled areas to get needed aid.

Defense Minister Gallant also expressed his enthusiastic support for the port initiative, saying that it would help to weaken Hamas by denying it a means of leverage over the population.

Others are more skeptical of the effort, especially due to the technical problems and danger involved. Maritime expert and observer Sal Mercogliano posted a thread on X/Twitter explaining the many hurdles Biden's port plan would face.
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