The US-built pier is located several miles off the Gaza coast and will serve as the launching pad for future aid deliveries.

The aid is desperately needed as the UN has reported that people in Gaza are on the brink of famine, and Israeli troops have ordered the evacuation of 100,000 Palestinians from Rafah city in Gaza.

The US President, Joe Biden, gave the order to build the floating platform two months ago.

Israel sent tanks to Rafah crossing with Egypt, closing a crucial aid route into Gaza.

Unclear if Israel will launch a full invasion, as international ceasefire efforts continue.

Israel aims to destroy Hamas after Oct. 7 attack that left 1,200 dead and 250 hostages.

US opposes invasion due to lack of credible civilian evacuation plan.

Over 34,800 Palestinians have been killed, and 80% of Gaza's 2.3 million population have been displaced.

Humanitarians stress that land aid is more effective than sea aid for alleviating humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

The Rafah and Kerem Shalom crossings in Gaza were closed this week, preventing the entry of food, supplies, and fuel for aid trucks and generators.

Aid organizations warn that they have only a few days of fuel left before humanitarian operations and hospitals in Gaza begin to shut down.

Israel reopened Kerem Shalom after a mortar attack killed four Israeli soldiers nearby, but aid groups report no trucks are entering the Gaza side.

Trucks let through from Israel must be unloaded and reloaded onto Gaza trucks, but workers in Gaza cannot reach the facility due to safety concerns.