In an effort to address the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, a temporary port has been proposed as a potential solution to facilitate the delivery of aid. Experts are optimistic about the port's potential, although concerns about the secure distribution of aid remain.

Jonathan Lord, a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, explained that while the temporary port could help alleviate the strain on aid distribution, it poses similar challenges to aid deliveries over land. The key question lies in how to ensure the safe and effective distribution of aid to all those in need, while preventing it from being blocked by various actors, such as Hamas insurgents, criminal gangs, vigilantes, or others taking advantage of emerging security vacuums.

To address these concerns, non-government organizations, the United Nations, and other regional partners may be tapped to accept and distribute aid ashore. However, the specific details regarding these arrangements have not been finalized.

Another obstacle in aid distribution is the inspection process. The inspection of aid has caused delays in land shipments, with Israeli authorities arguing that they are inspecting more trucks than are actually entering Gaza on a daily basis. Israel attributes this discrepancy to a shortage of drivers among the groups operating in Gaza.

Critics, including two U.S. senators who recently visited the Rafah border crossing in Egypt to observe the situation, have described Israel's inspection process as "cumbersome" and "arbitrary," suggesting that it is exacerbating the aid distribution challenges. This raises the question of whether the issue lies in a deficit of aid or a deficit of aid distribution.

Experts believe that the establishment of a temporary port will shed light on the logistical supply line and interior capacity for aid distribution. By being able to bring containerships full of aid directly to Gaza, it will become evident whether there is an effective system in place for distribution.

Furthermore, the United States is determined to exert pressure on the Israeli government to ease restrictions on incoming aid and open up more land crossings. U.S. President Joe Biden highlighted this in his recent speech, emphasizing the importance of addressing the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

As discussions and plans for the temporary port progress, it remains to be seen how it will ultimately contribute to easing the distribution of aid in Gaza. The focus now is on finding a viable solution that can effectively deliver much-needed assistance to the people of Gaza while ensuring the safety and security of the aid distribution process.