How the US military intends to build a dock and provide food to Gaza

The United States' proposal to provide aid to Gaza from a floating pier at sea is likely to provide significant logistical and security obstacles.

No "boots on the ground" will be involved in the operation, according to the Pentagon, although around 1,000 US forces are anticipated to take part.

The US has teamed up with a little-known private company called Fogbow, which is managed by former intelligence and military personnel, to help do that.

The objective is to provide Gaza, where the UN has declared that starvation is "almost inevitable" in the absence of immediate action, with supplies equal to two million meals per day.

How is the US going to build up its pier?

On Saturday and Monday, US Army ships sailed to deliver equipment to the Mediterranean. The Pentagon claims that two major parts of the concept need to be put together: a large floating dock composed of steel segments and a two-lane, 1,800-foot (548-meter) causeway and pier.

The causeway will be made of interconnecting steel segments that are 40 feet (12 meters) long and joined to the beach.

Supplies are transported to the pier by cargo ships, where they are offloaded into a variety of barges and smaller boats known as logistics support vessels, or LSVs.

After that, trucks will transport the supplies into Gaza and onto land.

The causeway will enable US Marines to avoid entering Gaza by being put together at sea and "driven" into the beach. The US has classified Hamas as a terrorist organization and is assisting its ally Israel.

The US military has previously utilized this amphibious construction project, officially known as Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore, or JLOTS, in Kuwait, Somalia, Haiti, and Central America for disaster relief operations.

Previous iterations date back to World War II, immediately after D-Day's assault of Normandy. Similar JLOTS equipment was employed by the defense department during a large-scale exercise in Australia as recently as July of last year.

"Having an operational port is obviously preferred by the military because it makes everything much easier," former US Marine Corps colonel Mark Cancian told the BBC. "It makes amphibious operations planning much easier."

"But that's not always possible, either due to a conflict situation or in a peacetime, humanitarian mission," he stated. "That's where JLOTS comes in."

What will Fogbow be used for, and what is it?

Fogbow is managed by Mick Mulroy, a former CIA paramilitary officer and assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East, and Sam Mundy, a former Marine Corps lieutenant colonel who previously commanded forces in the region.

The entire scope of their planned actions has never before been disclosed to the public. However, a person with knowledge of the strategy told the BBC that the main purpose of the Fogbow operation, also referred to as the Blue Beach Plan internally, is to coordinate the distribution of aid once it reaches the Gaza coast.

As part of a US-approved arrangement, the containers will be emptied and their contents loaded onto trucks to be transported to distribution stations farther into Gaza.

According to sources close to the project, Fogbow has briefed several countries in Europe and the Middle East on its ideas but is still seeking funds. Longer term, Fogbow intends to establish a foundation administered by donors to assist in directing resources toward Gaza.

What measures will be taken for security?

According to military experts, security is essential to the plan's success because of the potential for hostile fire in the still-active fighting zone as well as the prospect of massive civilian gatherings on the coast.

Retired Rear Admiral Mark Montgomery, a 32-year US Navy veteran with experience providing humanitarian relief, stated that a "security cocoon" needs to be set up for the operation in both the neighboring shallow water and on the shore.

Today News