A temporary U.S. pier intended to unload humanitarian aid for the besieged Gaza Strip has been removed again due to heavy seas and towed to an Israeli port, the Pentagon said Friday.
This is the third time the pier has been detached from the shore due to weather conditions since its initial installation in mid-May.
Construction completed early May
“Due to the high sea levels expected this weekend, Central Command has removed the temporary pier from its anchorage in Gaza and will tow it to Ashdod, Israel,” said Sabrina Singh, a deputy Pentagon spokeswoman, referring to the U.S. military command responsible for the Middle East.
She gave no date for refloating the pier.
President Joe Biden announced in March that U.S. troops would establish the pier off the coast of Gaza. Construction was completed in early May, but weather conditions meant it was not put into service until May 17.
A week later, the swell caused the undocking of four vessels participating in the operation. The pier was then damaged three days later and had to be transported to the Israeli port of Ashdod for repairs.
Returned to operation on June 7, it was transported again to Ashdod on the 14th due to weather conditions.
As Israel’s primary supporter, Washington installed the jetty in response to severe restrictions imposed by Israel on the land delivery of aid to the Palestinian territory, ravaged by eight months of war.
Aid remains blocked
According to the Pentagon, since May 17, it has allowed the delivery of more than 8,831 tons of humanitarian aid to the coast. The problem is that once disembarked, the distribution of this aid poses serious problems due to the security conditions in the Gaza Strip.
The World Food Programme, which is responsible for delivering aid arriving in Gaza via the temporary American jetty, has suspended its operations there.
As a result, much of the aid remains stuck in warehouses that are nearly full. “There is still some space left but overall, it is full,” said Sabrina Singh.
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According to the United Nations, almost all of the 2.4 million people in the Gaza Strip have been displaced by fighting and bombardment and are food insecure and at risk of famine.
Since October 7, the date of the unprecedented attack by Hamas in southern Israel, the latter has been leading a massive military campaign of reprisals and vows to eliminate the Palestinian Islamist movement.
