Satellite photos show US Navy ship building floating pier for Gaza aid as Israel

JERUSALEM (AP) — A U.S. Navy ship involved in an American-led effort to bring more aid into the besieged Gaza Strip is offshore from the enclave and building out a floating platform for the operation, according to satellite photos analyzed Monday by The Associated Press.

The USNS Roy P. Benavidez sits some 8 kilometers (5 miles) from the pier and base of operations for the project being built by the Israeli military.

A satellite image from Sunday by Planet Labs PBC showed pieces of the floating pier in the Mediterranean Sea alongside the vessel. Measurements of the vessel match known features of the Benavidez, a Bob Hope-class vehicle cargo ship operated by the Military Sealift Command.

The U.S. military and Israeli authorities did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the Benavidez’s position. Both sides have said they hope to have the mobile pier in place and operations underway by early May.