US President Joe Biden is expected to announce in his State of the Nation address tonight the establishment of a port off the coast of Gaza that will contribute to the transfer of humanitarian aid to the Strip.
American officials said that the first aid shipments would arrive from Cyprus and the operation would not require the presence of the US military boots on the ground. They estimated that the establishment of the port would take several weeks.
Earlier, Kan Reshet Bet reported that the Emirates are demanding from the US a route that will deliver aid on a regular basis rather than a one-time basis, and finding a way to secure the trucks so that they reach their destination. In addition, they are demanding a maritime aid route that will be run together with a humanitarian organization called the 'World Central Kitchen,' and that the ships will be from said organization while the food will be from the United Arab Emirates.
The United Arab Emirates sees the maritime aid line as something that can change by an order of magnitude the aid that enters Gaza, especially foodstuffs. This is seen as especially beneficial in light of the facts that the security check at the Nitsana crossing takes a long time and the crossings themselves are small. The inspection in Cyprus and the ability to load large quantities of products on the ships could result in Gaza being "flooded" with food, according to the UAE.