The Pentagon has estimated that this mission will cost at least $320 million, encompassing the transportation of equipment, pier sections, construction, and aid delivery operations.

Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh revealed to reporters that the cost is a rough estimate for the project and includes various logistical aspects. Satellite photos analyzed by The Associated Press show the USNS Roy P. Benavidez situated approximately 5 miles from the port on shore, where the Israeli military is building the base of operations for the project. Alongside the Benavidez, the USAV General Frank S. Besson Jr. and several other Army boats are working on constructing the Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore (JLOTS) system, as referred to by the military.

Satellite images indicate that pieces of the floating pier have already been placed in the Mediterranean Sea alongside the Benavidez. The US military, confirming late last week, noted that the construction has commenced and is remote enough to ensure the safety of the troops involved.

The next step in the endeavor will be the construction of a causeway that will anchor to the beach. It is anticipated that the floating pier, causeway, and aid delivery operations will be fully operational by early May, as expressed by US and Israeli officials.

Under the US military's plan, the aid will be loaded onto commercial ships in Cyprus. These ships will then sail to the floating platform, currently under construction off the coast of Gaza. Subsequently, pallets of aid will be transferred onto trucks and then loaded onto smaller ships, which will travel to a metal, floating two-lane causeway. The 1,800-foot causeway will be attached to the shore by the Israeli Defense Forces.

To facilitate the installation of the causeway, an American Army engineering unit has been training with an Israeli Defense Forces engineering unit on an Israeli beach up the coast.

The newly constructed port is located southwest of Gaza City, near a road constructed by the Israeli military during the recent conflict against Hamas. Initially built by the World Central Kitchen, the port was halted after seven aid workers were killed in an Israeli airstrike on April 1. However, the organization has announced its intention to resume aid operations in Gaza.

Aid delivery into Gaza has been slow, with long queues of trucks awaiting Israeli inspections. In addition to the sea route, the US and other nations have utilized air drops to send food into Gaza. Initially, the sea route will see approximately 90 trucks per day, but this number is expected to quickly increase to 150 trucks per day. Nonetheless, aid organizations have stressed the need for several hundred trucks to enter Gaza daily.

Israel, under pressure from the US and others, claims that the situation is improving, but the United Nations agencies argue that much more aid must be allowed into Gaza.

In the midst of efforts to construct the pier, UN officials have reported that the site has already come under attack. On Wednesday, a mortar attack targeted the port area, fortunately causing no injuries.

This US-led aid mission symbolizes a crucial initiative to alleviate the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza. However, as tensions persist, concerns remain over potential resistance by Hamas and possible confrontations with an occupying force stationed at the pier.