The Conversation: Joe Biden’s plan to build a pier to get aid into Gaza isn’t enough
“In his State of the Union address, Joe Biden announced an idea to alleviate the desperate humanitarian situation in Gaza. The American president said he is “directing the US military to lead an emergency mission to establish a temporary pier in the Mediterranean on the Gaza coast that can receive large ships carrying food, water, medicine and temporary shelters”.
Hopes of a humanitarian ceasefire, which seemed within reach only recently, have dwindled once again as both Israel and Hamas have doubled down on their incompatible positions. So Biden’s announcement represents the latest desperate attempt to get around the Israeli blockade that severely limits the flow of supplies into Gaza.
More aid is desperately needed. Children are dying of malnutrition and dehydration in Gaza. Overcrowded shelters offer very little space and most people in Gaza live with limited access to water and poor sanitation facilities. The few operational hospitals are struggling with a lack of staff, electricity and medical supplies.”
Read about the six issues that humanitarian logistics researchers Sarah Schiffling and Foteini Stavropoulou suggest are crucial for an effective aid strategy, now available also in the Hanken Blog: