Chief Ursula Von Der Leyen. It comes a day after President Biden said the us planned to build a Temporary Port In Gaza. Well have the latest reaction from washington And Jerusalem. Also on the programme. Joe biden delivers a fiery State Of The Union speech, setting out the key issues likely to feature in his re Election Campaign and takes a swipe at his president ial rival donald trump. But has he done enough to stop the doubters. The Great Barrier reef is showing signs of strain after record high sea temperatures, undergoing another mass bleaching event. The un has been warning that gaza faces famine and that children there are dying from hunger. It says there have beenoverwhelming obstacles when it comes to getting aid into the territory. But on friday a potential breakthrough the uk says it willjoin the us and other allies to create a maritime corridor to deliver essential aid directly to gaza. Ajoint statement from the uk, us, eu, cyprus and the United Arab Emirates said. The plan is to establish a Shipping Route that would get aid from cyprus to gaza by sea working with the un to facilitate, co ordinate, monitor and verify the flow of aid. The statement said efforts will be closely co ordinated with israels government. Initial shipments would arrive via cyprus, where Israeli Security inspections will take place. The Israeli ForeignMinistry Spokesman lior haiat reacted on x saying. The sea Corridor Development follows president joe biden� s announcement that the us military will set up a Temporary Port In Gaza to allow more aid to be delivered to the territory. Heres the British Foreign secretary lord cameron. But this new idea from the of United States, which were involved in building a temporary harbour in gaza, means that aid will be able to go directly from cyprus to gaza, but its going to take time to build. So the crucial thing is today, the israelis must confirm that theyll open the port at ashdod, that is in israel, but thats a working port. It could take aid now that would increase the amount of aid. And that aid can then be driven into gaza. That would make a real difference. And we need to make a real difference right now. On a visit to cyprus, the head of the European CommissionUrsula Von Der Leyen said the new maritime corridor will Begin Operating very soon hopefully by sunday. Today, the republic of cyprus, the European Commission, the United Arab Emirates and the United States, of course, supported by other critical partners, announced our intent to open the maritime corridor to deliver much needed additional amounts of humanitarian assistance by sea. Together, our nations intend to build on this model to deliver significant additional aid by sea. We are launching the Cyprus Maritime Corridor together, cyprus, the european union, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States, and it is your relentless work to get this corridor up and running, despite all the challenges, and this is truly inspiring. We are now very close to the opening of the corridor. Hopefully this saturday, the sunday. And im very glad to see that an initial Pilot Operation will be launched today. Lets get the perspective now from washington And Jerusalem from our correspondents, tom bateman and wyre davies. What we heard from President Biden in his state of the Union Address last night was the establishment of this seaport, a Floating Port to be constructed by the us military off the coast of gaza. That would then be floated to shore and that would allow, you know, a very large amount of aid to be delivered. The problem being that nobody seems to know yet, once it gets onto the beach, how it would be secured and youre back into the same problems, that security has collapsed around aid convoys, especially in the north of gaza. And that is the issue. Its about distribution. And also this thing is going to take up to two months, according to briefings from us officials, to be built. So were not talking about that happening imminently. The opening up of this so called maritime corridor is an ingenious, if experimental idea. The plan is that, this weekend, folks with some aid on it would leave cyprus, bound for gaza. There is no natural harbour in gaza, no obvious way of off loading this aid. There will be no foreign troops on the ground, so there is a lot of scepticism, particularly amongst aid agencies, if this is a plan that will work. It also, notably, comes on the back Ofjoe Biden Peace Plan to build some sort of temporary harbour in gaza to allow aid and Construction Material to help with the reconstruction of gaza and the supply of age, but that wont be ready for a couple of months at least. Of course, the way to get aid into gaza is by road, but the israelis at the minute and the aid agencies between them are only getting about 100 trucks worth of aid in every day, which is way short of the 500 truckloads needed by the people of gaza because in the north of gaza, in particular, there is malnutrition, children are dying from hunger and aid agencies in particular, also israels allies have warned that ifs a dire humanitarian situation. A couple of lines from the pentagon from all of us. They said theyve been talking with aid groups mfifis been talking with Aid Groups Ngos and the un about been talking with Aid Groups Ngos and the un about the been talking with Aid Groups Ngos and the un about the a been talking with Aid Groups Ngos and the un about the a delivery and set it will take several weeks and execution to build that Temporary Port, adding that the us to provide 2 million meals to gazans daily and they dont have a Cost Estimate yet of making that Temporary Port. Lets speak to amy potter, nurse with medecins sans frontieres, who recently returned from gaza. Hello to you. Thanks very much for joining us. Ijust mentioned there the pentagons saying theyve been talking to agencies about the delivery of this aid. This is the keyissue, delivery of this aid. This is the key issue, isnt it, for you guys down on the ground, this ability to move the aid through gaza and to reach the people who need it. Its one thing getting it from the sea onto land and getting it, but getting it to people, can you talk asked her how difficult that is . Its certainly difficult getting it to people. Theres a lot of logistical problems. Even more than that, there is aid outside of the border when i entered gaza and when i left gaza. As hundreds if not thousands of trucks getting aid to gaza isnt necessarily a logistical problem. Getting it into gaza we just need to solve the political problems to get it across the border. ,. , problems to get it across the border. ,. , ,. , border. Can you ust Tell Us A Little Bit about border. Can you just Tell Us A Little Bit about the border. Can you just Tell Us A Little Bit about the situation. | border. Can you just tell us a | little bit about the situation. I know its a desperate situation, can you Tell Us A Little Bit about what it was like when you where they are . Its truly awful. Every day you see people lined up from the sun up just waiting. I remember driving by the Food Distribution points and they noticed there were always kids in line, and i asked one of our National Staff members and i said wise always kids in line, they explained he can only get one distribution per day, because water is too heavy, they would send the adults are water and the kids would line up forfood. Adults are water and the kids would line up for food. These are the decisions that people have to make and i was in south gaza. From what i understand it is far worse in the north. They dont have access to nearly as many supplies or aid as needed. At nearly as many supplies or aid as needed. �. ,. , needed. A quarter of gazas pepulation needed. A quarter of gazas pepulation is needed. A quarter of gazas population is on needed. A quarter of gazas population is on the needed. A quarter of gazas population is on the brink. Needed. A quarter of gazas| population is on the brink of famine. We have been hearing about children potentially starving to death already, do people you talk to, do they have any faith at all that things will change when we get these talks and they break down, delegates dont turn up. When you talk to people do they have any hope . Talk to people do they have any ho e . ,. , , talk to people do they have any hoe . , ,. , hope . Their only hope is a ceasefire. Hope . Their only hope is a ceasefire. They hope . Their only hope is a ceasefire. They were hope . Their only hope is a ceasefire. They were all i hope . Their only hope is a | ceasefire. They were all in hope . Their only hope is a ceasefire. They were all in south cease fire. They were all in south gaza, most are in the rough area they moved many times over. One child i spoke with, they said there is nowhere left to go. Their hope is a cease fire. There are so many ideas back and forth about getting aid and everything in and that is fantastic and obviously aid is needed. What we need when anything is a cease fire. There is nowhere left to go nowhere left to go. The people in the north, how are they getting anything . I the people in the north, how are they getting anything . They getting anything . I wasnt workin in they getting anything . I wasnt working in the they getting anything . I wasnt working in the north they getting anything . I wasnt working in the north at they getting anything . I wasnt working in the north at all they getting anything . I wasntj working in the north at all from what i understand the un was actually the organisation, and on february 20, they suspended after one of theirs was hit, shall from a boat, they said, last i heard, they suspended it. The north is an incredibly desperate and they need far more aid than is being provided right now. In far more aid than is being provided riaht now. ,. , right now. In terms of the medical facilities, where right now. In terms of the medical facilities, where you right now. In terms of the medical facilities, where you are right now. In terms of the medical facilities, where you are and facilities, where you are and what you guys were having to work with, just explain what the situation is and the hospitals and the like. The hospitals are and the hospitals and the like. The hosita. ,. ,. , hospitals are overcrowded. People are l in hospitals are overcrowded. People are lying on hospitals are overcrowded. People are lying on the hospitals are overcrowded. People are lying on the floor. Hospitals are overcrowded. People are lying on the floor. Multiple are lying on the floor. Multiple patients to a stretcher, if you can find a stretcher. Not mattresses on that. I ran a primary Health Care Clinic with Doctors Without Borders and we rented out of the back of ran it out of the back of the trucks, two trucks, actually. We found a hard time finding a facility to house us for a while. Theres not enough places to provide medical care and when the Rafah Crossing is invaded, we will lose some of the only functioning health care thank ou so only functioning health care thank you so much only functioning health care thank you so much for only functioning health care thank you so much for talking only functioning health care thank you so much for talking to only functioning health care thank you so much for talking to us only functioning health care thank you so much for talking to us about it, really appreciate your time lets speak to dr ha hellyer, senior associate fellow in International Security studies at the Royal United Services institute for defence and security studies. White hello to you, thanks very much for coming on. In terms of what President Biden, how he can sell this, he mentioned it in his state of the Union Address, in terms of its showing his inability to have talked israel around, prior to this, he is having to launch a corridor from a boat onto land come into this maritime corridor, rather than actually persuading israel to let more aid and on land. How do you see this in terms of a win for biden or what . ,. ,. ,. , ~ i. , what . Good evening. Thank you very much for the what . Good evening. Thank you very much for the invitation what . Good evening. Thank you very much for the invitation to what . Good evening. Thank you very much for the invitation to come into | much for the invitation to come into your programme. I think this is frankly an admittance of failure by President Biden and by the administration were generally when it comes to gaza, israel is dependent on the United States in numerous ways the transfer of arms, the defence of israel at the United NationsSecurity Council by the american detail and yet, for the last five months, the Biden Administration has been unwilling to use the sun is right to force a change in behaviour. Its use the sun is right to force a change in behaviour. Use the sun is right to force a change in behaviour. Its a choice. Wh do change in behaviour. Its a choice. Why do you change in behaviour. Its a choice. Why do you think change in behaviour. Its a choice. Why do you think that change in behaviour. Its a choice. Why do you think that is, change in behaviour. Its a choice. Why do you think that is, sorry . L change in behaviour. Its a choice. L why do you think that is, sorry . But wh is a why do you think that is, sorry . Pm why is a choice by the Biden Administration not to use leverage, was unable to do so, there american institutions, the most famous of which is actually republican president , president Ronald Reagan in the 80s on several occasions and its very clear to the International Community that if the United States wanted to force israel to open up one of the six lambert is that it has completely under israeli control it would do so. Its been unwilling to do for and as a result reducing to do for and as a result reducing to these ridiculous scenes of air drops that actually kill people as he sought today. Against the background of a massive humanitarian crisis in folding its not potentially children are dying of starvation but its actually a fact, its taken place recently. And yet we are salivating opening of this maritime corridor which will take a great deal of time, which will not be the amount of aid that is necessary and will not be comparable to the aid that could be transferred immediately if those land borders were opened up. Land borders that incidentally israelis are opening up. Israelis are in the occupation of gaza strip 1967 comments occupying power and International Humanitarian law is obliged to take care of the welfare of the population under control is not only failed to do happen is a major to the world that population. You mentioned the world that population. You mentioned these the world that population. You mentioned these air drops potentially having killed people, the Pentagon Isjust getting a Press Conference at the moment to just say that the press reports that the us air drops resulted in civilian casualties on the ground are false, saying that they have confirmed that all of their aid bundles landed safely on the ground just coming from the Press Conference at the moment. We can see on screen, and other line coming out of that is that israels going to provide for a Temporary Port being built on gazans on the coast there to receive humanitarian aid. Thoughts come from President Biden, thats what he said a little bit earlier today. Its a process bizarre situations you have israel providing security for these measures that america feels its had to do because it has not had the access to the land border i see mentioned. What would it take for the us do you think that might change President Biden� s mind to make him lets try to stop sending arms and the like, what would it take for him to act on that . Just to reiterate, witnesses take for him to act on that . Just to reiterate, witnesses on take for him to act on that . Just to reiterate, witnesses on the reiterate