Israel-Gaza live updates: Hamas to send a delegation to Cairo for negotiations

President Biden has decided not to sanction three Israeli military units it determined committed human rights violations in the West Bank, according to a letter from U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to House Speaker Mike Johnson, obtained by ABC News.

The Biden administration determined that three military battalions with the Israeli Defense Force committed “gross human rights violations” against Palestinian civilians in the West Bank.

But the units will remain eligible for US military aid anyway because of steps Israel says it's taking to address the problem, according to the letter.

The allegations involving each of the units occurred before the Oct. 7 war began, according to the letter, which notes, none of the cases involve operations against Hamas in Gaza or against Iran or its proxies.

A senior U.S. military official shared an update on the temporary pier intended to help deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza in a briefing for Pentagon reporters Thursday.

"We are on track to begin delivery of humanitarian assistance to Gaza from the sea in early May," the military official said.

Once operational, the U.S. expects the pier will be able to handle about 90 trucks a day and then quickly build up to 150 trucks worth of humanitarian aid, the official added.

The official explained how the flow of aid will be transferred via the pier, saying, supplies will be unloaded onto a floating platform located miles off the Gaza shore and then a smaller watercraft carrying five trucks will be offloaded onto the floating pier that will be anchored to the shore.

From there, the trucks will drop off their cargo in a secure area for future distribution and constantly repeat that process, according to the official.

The truck drivers will not be U.S. military personnel but the drivers, from an undisclosed country, will have their own security, according to the official.

The U.S. military has begun to build a temporary pier off the coast of Gaza to help deliver humanitarian aid, the Pentagon's top spokesperson confirmed at a press briefing Thursday.

"We are aware of the significant interest in this important effort and will provide much more information in the very near future as we work alongside the international community to rush aid to the people of Gaza," Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters.

In the wake of a mortar attack in the general vicinity of where the pier is located near Gaza City earlier Thursday, Ryder said the pier and causeway are being built miles offshore and are "nowhere near mortar range."

The incident "in no way delays our efforts to establish the maritime corridor," Ryder said.

The pier should be ready to off-load humanitarian aid from ships by early May, he said.

-ABC News' Luis Martinez

President Joe Biden and the leaders of 17 other countries -- Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Spain, Thailand and the U.K. -- are calling for the release of all hostages held by Hamas in Gaza in a new statement released Thursday.

“The fate of the hostages and the civilian population in Gaza, who are protected under international law, is of international concern," they said in a statement released Thursday. "We emphasize that the deal on the table to release the hostages would bring an immediate and prolonged cease-fire in Gaza, that would facilitate a surge of additional necessary humanitarian assistance to be delivered throughout Gaza, and lead to the credible end of hostilities."

"Gazans would be able to return to their homes and their lands with preparations beforehand to ensure shelter and humanitarian provisions. We strongly support the ongoing mediation efforts in order to bring our people home. We reiterate our call on Hamas to release the hostages, and let us end this crisis so that collectively we can focus our efforts on bringing peace and stability to the region," the statement read.

-ABC News' Justin Ryan Gomez and Michelle Stoddart