Trucks cross a new dock towards Gaza. But some fear it is a deviation from the real crisis.

Washington: Trucks carrying much-needed aid to the Gaza Strip passed through a newly built US pier and entered the besieged enclave for the first time, as Israeli restrictions on border crossings and intense fighting have hampered the delivery of food and other supplies.

The shipment is the first in an operation that US military officials anticipate could scale up to 150 trucks a day, as Israel puts pressure on the southern city of Rafah in its seven-month offensive against Hamas. At the White House, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that in the initial delivery there were “more than 300 pallets” of aid that were delivered to the UN, which was preparing them for distribution.

Kirby said the United States has received indications that “some of that aid was already reaching Gaza.”

But the United States, the United Nations and aid groups warn that the floating dock project is no substitute for ground shipments that could bring all the food, water and fuel needed to Gaza. Before the war, more than 500 trucks entered the Palestinian territory on a normal day.