Satellite photos show new port construction in Gaza Strip for US-led aid operation

JERUSALEM (AP) — The building of a new port in the Gaza Strip ahead of a U.S. military-led operation to bring more desperately needed food and other aid into the besieged enclave as Israel's war on Hamas grinds on is well underway, according to satellite images analyzed Thursday by The Associated Press.

The construction appears to have been moving quickly over the last two weeks, judging from the images, and some officials say the port could become ready as early as a week from now.

The port sits just southwest of Gaza City, which once was the territory's most-populous area before the Israeli ground offensive rolled through, pushing over 1 million people south toward the town of Rafah on the Egyptian border. Its construction comes as Israel faces widespread international criticism over the slow trickle of aid into the area, where the United Nations says at least a quarter of the population sits on the brink of starvation.

However, the site has already been targeted by a militant mortar attack, according to the Israeli military. An official from the Hamas militant group that has run Gaza since 2007 has warned that any foreign military presence at the pier would be target for attack — potentially complicating the aid efforts even further.