UK forces may be deployed on the ground in Gaza to help deliver aid
The BBC has uncovered information indicating that British troops might be deployed on the ground in Gaza to assist in delivering aid through a newly established sea route.
The US has stated that American forces will not land, proposing instead that an unidentified “third party” would operate trucks along a floating causeway to the beach.
It is understood that the UK is contemplating assigning British troops to this task once the aid corridor becomes operational next month. Sources within Whitehall have indicated that no definitive decision has been reached, and the matter has yet to be brought before the prime minister.
Both the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the Israeli army have declined to comment on the issue. Britain has been deeply involved in the planning of the maritime aid mission, with Defence Secretary Grant Shapps emphasizing the UK’s continued leadership role in coordinating support alongside the US and other international partners.
The potential involvement of British forces, referred to as “wet boots” by military strategists, would entail driving trucks off landing craft onto a temporary causeway and delivering aid to a designated secure area onshore.
While extensive efforts would be made to safeguard allied forces both at sea and on land, British troops could face an elevated risk of attacks from Hamas and other armed factions.
On Wednesday, a United Nations team had to take cover when mortars landed near the planned distribution zone.
US defense officials confirmed an American army ship had begun work in the eastern Mediterranean to build a large floating pier.
Aid would be delivered there from Cyprus on large ships before being transferred into trucks and smaller landing craft. They said the floating causeway would be “several hundred meters long” and anchored firmly into the sand.
They said they hoped the new maritime corridor – which they call the Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore (JLOTS) operation – would ultimately deliver up to 150 trucks per day.
The aim is to add to – but not replace – aid deliveries by land that are still insufficient to meet the need. On average about 220 aid trucks per day are currently getting into Gaza by road.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has said it will provide “security and logistics support for the JLOTS initiative… to enhance the entry of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip”.
Israel’s military will be responsible for anchoring the floating causeway to the beach and has been practicing how to do this with American forces further north on the Israeli coast.
In a briefing with journalists, a senior US military official said because there would be no American boots on the ground, hundreds of US soldiers and sailors would live and sleep at sea on a UK naval vessel, RFA Cardigan Bay.
He also made clear US forces would not take the aid ashore and instead, that role would be carried out by a “significant partner”. He confirmed this would be another nation, not a private military company.
“We have a third party who will be driving the trucks down the pier,” the US military official said. “Just a point of emphasis, there will be no US military boots on the ground. So, a third party is driving those trucks.
One UK source said nothing had been decided but there was a debate going on about “do we put wet boots on the beach, do we drive trucks onto the pier?”.
The MoD declined to comment about the suggestion UK forces might drive trucks ashore, but Mr. Shapps said the crew of RFA Cardigan Bay were central to the UK’s contribution, adding: “We must establish more routes for vital humanitarian aid to reach the people of Gaza.”
He said specialist British military planning teams had been embedded within the US operational HQ in Tampa, Florida – as well as in Cyprus – for several weeks to help develop the safest and most effective maritime route.
The UK Hydrographic Office has also shared analysis of the Gazan shore with US planners to develop the pier.
Sat images from 18 Apr of the on-shore pier (which has been under construction since around March)
A satellite image of the on-shore pier which has been under construction since March
More than six months into Israel’s military operations in the Gaza Strip, over half of its population of 2.2 million is crammed into the southern city of Rafah.
The UN has warned of a humanitarian catastrophe and Israel has faced international criticism for limiting the amount of aid reaching civilians by land.
Ziad Issa, the head of humanitarian policy at ActionAid, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “Any way to deliver aid to Gaza is welcome and will help a bit, but the problem with this way of delivering aid is it’s going to take time and there are lots of logistical uncertainties about it.”
He said it would be more efficient to allow delivery trucks into Gaza via land crossings. Trucks “loaded with tonnes of medical supplies, with food” are currently waiting to enter Gaza but are not being allowed in by Israeli forces, Mr Issa said – and aid workers are calling for Israel to permanently open a land crossing at Erez.
The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says more than 34,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the war began on 7 October.
The IDF launched the offensive after about 1,200 Israelis and foreigners – mostly civilians – were killed and 253 others were taken back to Gaza as hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
