Reuters reports that the US is seeking a privately-funded project to ship aid to Gazan civilians via a tugboat-and-crane approach, in order to complement the larger port project which could take two months to complete.
The project would not be funded directly by the US, and the aim is for allies and private parties to foot the bill. It is expected to take about a month or more to be ready.
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.
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."
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.
