On Saturday, the BBC reported that “British troops could be deployed on the ground in Gaza to help deliver aid via a new sea route.”
The BBC report followed a United States statement that American forces will not disembark ashore in Gaza, and instead, some un known “third party” will be responsible for driving the aid trucks along a floating causeway to the shore. The BBC reported that the British government is considering deploying its military to drive those humanitarian aid trucks along the causeway of the newly-built pier in Gaza, presumably a relatively short distance, albeit wobbly, to the beach.
According to the same BBC report, Whitehall sources said no decision had been made and the issue had not yet crossed the prime minister’s desk. Also, Israel’s defense ministry and the IDF declined to comment.
The BBC added that British forces, dubbed “wet boots” by military planners, may be tasked with driving trucks off landing craft onto the temporary causeway to deliver aid to a secure distribution area ashore. The report noted that despite extensive efforts to safeguard allied forces both at sea and on land, British troops could encounter an elevated risk of attacks from hostile groups, most notably Hamas.
Last Wednesday, the UN reported that a pier for the US-led project to bring aid into the Gaza Strip, which was under construction, came under fire, forcing UN officials to take shelter.
The IDF has announced its commitment to offering “security and logistics support for the JLOTS initiative” aimed at facilitating the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. Israel’s military will oversee the anchoring of the floating causeway to the beach and has been conducting joint training exercises with American forces farther north along the Israeli coast to prepare for this task.
In case you didn’t know, JLOTS stands for Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore, and is a joint employment of Army and Navy assets to deploy and sustain a force.
Last Friday, the UK Ministry of Defense announced its ongoing provision of logistical assistance for the construction of the pier in Gaza. This includes utilizing a Royal Navy ship to accommodate hundreds of US soldiers and sailors involved in the project. Additionally, British military planners have been integrated within the US Central Command in Florida and Cyprus, where humanitarian aid undergoes screening before being dispatched to Gaza.
