US to set up temporary port on Gaza coast for aid delivery

President Joe Biden is to announce that the US military will construct a port in Gaza to get more humanitarian aid into the territory by sea, senior US officials say.

He will make the announcement during his State of the Union address later.

The temporary port will increase the amount of humanitarian assistance to Palestinians by "hundreds of additional truckloads" per day, officials say.

The effort will reportedly take "a number of weeks" to execute.

The initial shipments will arrive via Cyprus and security will be coordinated with Israel, officials say.

In his speech to Congress on Thursday, President Biden will announce that he has ordered the military "to undertake an emergency mission to establish a port in Gaza, working with like-minded countries and humanitarian partners", an official said.