4 U.S. Army vessels depart for mission to build temporary Gaza pier

Four U.S. Army vessels departed from a military base in the state of Virginia on Tuesday with soldiers and equipment to build a temporary port on Gaza's coast for humanitarian aid deliveries, said a Pentagon spokesman.

"Today, the Department of Defense deployed four US Army vessels from Joint Base Langley-Eustis to the Eastern Mediterranean in support of humanitarian assistance operations in Gaza and the mission to build a temporary pier," Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said at a news conference.

Ryder said the USAV SP4 Lames A. Loux, USAV Monterrey, USAV Matamoros and USAV Wilson Wharf from the 7th Transportation Brigade (Expeditionary) all departed earlier Tuesday carrying the equipment and supplies needed to support the mission.

"Once in theater, these vessels and their crews will establish a roll-on/roll-off pier capability that allows ship-to-shore humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza."

He added that the pier is expected to be fully operational in approximately 60 days, which will be able to facilitate the delivery of up to 2 million meals daily.

According to footage on social media, The Imperial March from the film Star Wars played over the loudspeaker system of USAV SP4 Lames A. Loux.

Preparations began Tuesday to build a temporary floating dock off the coast of Gaza, Anadolu learned.

Witnesses confirmed that heavy machinery is operating near the Al-Baydar area, which is controlled by Israeli forces.

The move was announced by U.S. President Joe Biden in his State of the Union address last week as Israel has restricted land routes into Gaza, slowing the flow of aid to a trickle.