British troops could be sent to Gaza to help US deliver aid

Abbie Cheeseman
British Army personnel load humanitarian aid onto an A400M Atlas military plane as part of an action to address the plight of Palestinian people in Gaza, at an unspecified location in Jordan earlier this month
British Army personnel load humanitarian aid onto an A400M Atlas military plane as part of an action to address the plight of Palestinian people in Gaza, at an unspecified location in Jordan earlier this month - CPL TIM LAURENCE RAF/Reuters

The Government is reportedly considering sending British troops to Gaza to help deliver aid once the US finishes building a new sea route into the besieged territory.

The Pentagon on Friday confirmed that construction of the temporary pier, designed to speed up humanitarian aid into Gaza as famine looms, had begun and operations will begin in early May.

In a briefing with journalists, a senior US military official emphasised that no American troops would be ashore and that nationals from an unnamed “third country” would drive the trucks along the 500-metre floating causeway to a secure area on the beach.

“We have a third party who will be driving the trucks down the pier,” the 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.”

While refusing to name which country would supply the drivers, he made clear it would be carried out by a “significant partner.”

The UK is considering sending British troops to fulfil the task, the BBC reported, but no decision has been made.

In addition to aid from the air, the Government is considering putting British Army 'boots on the ground'
In addition to aid from the air, the Government is considering putting British Army 'boots on the ground' - CPL TIM LAURENCE RAF/REUTERS

Concerns over US – and now possibly UK – troops getting caught up in the conflict were heightened this week when a United Nations team touring the planned secure area for distribution was forced to duck for cover on Wednesday as mortar shells landed nearby.

About 1,000 US troops will support the military effort, including in coordination cells in Cyprus and Israel, but none will step foot onto the shore under a direct order from President Biden.

A British ship which will house hundreds of US army personnel building the jetty has set sail from Cyprus, a UK defence source said Saturday.

Plans for the new sea route have been mired in security concerns from the outset.

Sonali Korde, an official with the US Agency for International Development, said key agreements for security and handling the aid deliveries are still being negotiated. Those include how Israeli forces will operate in Gaza to ensure that aid workers are not harmed.

The pier will initially facilitate the delivery of 90 truckloads of international aid a day into Gaza, rising to up to 150 truckloads once fully operational, the US estimates.

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