Israel's war on Gaza: US to build temporary port for aid

• The US announces it will be constructing a temporary port in Gaza for aid

• Spain says it will resume funding relief agency UNRWA with $21.9 million

US announces plan to build a temporary port in Gaza

US President Joe Biden used his State of the Union address to announce that a temporary pier would be built on Gaza's coast to receive aid by sea.

"Tonight, I’m directing the US military to establish a temporary pier on the Gaza coast that can receive shipments of food, water, medicine, and shelter," Biden said in comments also posted on social media.

"To Israel, I say humanitarian assistance cannot be secondary. Protecting and saving innocent lives must be a priority," Biden said.

The announcement comes as the Biden administration looks to ease anger among those who are critical of his support for Israel, considering the mounting civilian death toll in the Israel-Hamas war.

The order to construct the pier also comes amid UN warnings of famine facing the Palestinian territory's 2.3 million residents.

Fighting has forced the displacement of 1.9 million civilians, according to UN figures, which is 85% of Gaza's total population.

The war was sparked by the events of October 7, the day the Hamas Islamist militant group led a large-scale terror attack in southern Israel. Over 1,100 people were killed and hundreds of others were taken hostage.

Since then, Israel's military has been involved in a military offensive to root out Hamas fighters. The Hamas-run health ministry says that at least 30,800 people have been killed since the start of the war.

US destroys Houthi missiles and drones

United States Central Command (CENTCOM) on Friday said American forces had destroyed Houthi missiles and a UAV in Yemen.

"Between the hours of 3:35 p.m. and 4:55 p.m. (Sanaa time), United States Central Command (CENTCOM) conducted self-defense strikes against four mobile Houthi anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCM) and one Houthi unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen," CENTCOM said in a post on social media platform X.

CENTCOM said that it also shot down three additional UAVs that had been launched from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen, towards the Gulf of Aden.

The Houthis have carried out numerous attacks on ships passing through the key maritime region, citing their opposition to Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip.

Spain to give UN Palestinian refugee agency over $20 million

Spain's government on Thursday announced that it would be giving an additional €20 million ($21.9 million) funding to the UN Palestinian refugee agency, UNRWA.

"We will make a new contribution of €20 million to the UNRWA to support the organization in its crucial humanitarian work in Gaza and to provide the food, education, and health needs of the nearly six million Palestinian refugees in the region," Spain's Foreign Minister, Jose Manuel Albares said.

The organization faced a funding crisis after several countries — including the US, Germany, the UK and Japan — suspended financial support. That came after Israel's allegations that around a dozen of the agency's employees had been involved in the October 7 terrorist attacks led by Hamas.

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