The Latest | Floating pier off Gaza is set to receive first US aid shipment [Video]

The first ship carrying humanitarian aid for Gaza was on its way Thursday to a floating platform built by the U.S. military. The plan is for cargo to be transferred at the pier to smaller U.S. boats that will deliver it to shore.

The Rafah border crossing with Egypt, a main entry point for aid, has been shut down since Israel’s military took control of the Palestinian side early Tuesday.

Civilians in Rafah have been thrown into panic and chaos by the possibility of a full-scale Israeli invasion of the overcrowded city. Tens of thousands of displaced and exhausted Palestinians have packed up their tents and other belongings and left for other parts of Gaza.

“Where are we supposed to go? Where is the world is that is just watching us?” Ahmad Abed, who has an 8-month-old daughter, said. “It’s like we’re sheep.”

The war in Gaza has driven around 80% of the territory’s …