The US military has removed the pier built to bring aid to Gaza due to weather concerns, and officials are considering not reinstalling it unless aid begins reaching the population again. Despite the pier’s role in delivering essential food supplies, most aid remains in the adjacent storage yard, which is nearly full. Aid agencies have struggled to distribute the food further into Gaza due to attacks on humanitarian convoys.
The UN halted its distribution of food and emergency supplies through the pier on June 9, following an Israeli military operation that used the area near the pier to evacuate hostages. This operation killed more than 270 Palestinians, prompting a UN security review over concerns about the safety and neutrality of aid workers. On 29 June the UN began moving the accumulated aid from the pier to warehouses in Gaza to prevent spoilage. However, future operations at the pier will depend on security assessments.
President Joe Biden’s $230 million project to aid Gaza, which began on May 17, has faced numerous setbacks, including harsh weather and security issues. Relief groups and congressional Republicans have criticized the project as an expensive distraction. Despite these challenges, the pier has managed to deliver over 19.4 million pounds of food into Gaza.
The pier’s removal was necessitated by heavy seas, which damaged it just days after it began operations. It has since been repaired and reinstalled multiple times. The current removal, due to rough seas on Friday, has led the military to move it to the Israeli port at Ashdod. Officials have stated that the pier could be reinstalled once the weather improves, but the final decision has not yet been made.
Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh noted the need for more aid to be transported to the pier from Cyprus, but emphasized that the storage area onshore is nearly full. Discussions with aid agencies about food distribution are ongoing. Singh added, “Of course, if there’s not enough room in the marshaling yard, then it doesn’t make sense to put our men or women out there when there’s nothing to do.”
The ongoing conflict in Gaza, which has lasted nearly nine months, along with Israeli restrictions on border crossings and attacks on aid convoys, has severely limited the flow of food, medicine, and other supplies, leading to widespread hunger among Palestinians.
