Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant visited the area of northern Gaza on Wednesday where the U.S. wants to establish a maritime corridor for humanitarian aid, using an offshore port that the U.S. military will build over the next 60 days.
Last week, President Joe Biden announced a plan to build the port to assist in the delivery of aid, saying there would be no “boots on the ground.” Though the latter promise seemed unlikely, four U.S. Navy ships left for Gaza on Tuesday.
Israel has offered its support to Biden’s plan, even though Israel says Gaza already has access to an unlimited amount of aid that can be trucked in by land, and that the problem is distribution within Gaza, where the aid is stolen by Hamas.
Gallant delivered remarks to troops in the area west of Gaza City, where the maritime corridor will have a land component. His remarks were provided (in translation) by Israel’s Government Press office:
Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant visited the Gaza Strip this morning (Wednesday, 13 March 2024) with the troops of Division 162, under the command of Brig. Gen. Itzik Cohen. The Minister held an operational situation assessment together with the Commander of the Nahal Brigade, Col. Yair Zuckerman, and the Commander of Brigade 401, Col. Benny Aharon.
During the visit, Minister Gallant observed the work carried out in preparation for the maritime corridor.
Minister Gallant also spoke with battalion and division commanders who have been serving in the Gaza Strip for over five months – soldiers who expressed their motivation to continue operating until achievement of the war’s goals.
Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant:
“I am here [in Gaza] with the forces of Division 162, adjacent to the corridor. I met the troops who are conducting extraordinary work above and below the ground. Our forces reach every location [necessary], and we can conclude that there is no safe haven for terrorists in Gaza.”
“Even those who think we are delayed, will soon see that we will reach every location [necessary]. We will bring to justice anyone who was involved in the events [massacre conducted] on October 7th. We will either eliminate them [the terrorists] or bring them to trial in Israel. There is no safe haven – not here, not outside of Gaza, not across the Middle East – we will bring them to justice.”
Israel is also exploring the possibility of opening a new crossing point into Gaza from the north, rather than just from the south and east, in an effort to improve access for humanitarian aid deliveries by truck.
Gaza’s existing harbor was destroyed early in the war; it had been taken over by Hamas and was used to carry out some of the October 7 attacks.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the recent book, “The Zionist Conspiracy (and how to join it),” now available on Audible. He is also the author of the e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
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