The pier built by the U.S. military to bring aid to Gaza is being removed due to weather to protect it, and the U.S. is considering not re-installing it unless aid begins flowing out into the population again, several U.S. officials said.
Quick Read
- Gaza Aid Pier Removal: The U.S. is removing the aid pier in Gaza due to rough weather and may not reinstall it unless aid distribution improves.
- Challenges: The pier facilitated the delivery of over 19 million pounds of food, but distribution within Gaza has been hindered by attacks on humanitarian convoys.
- Alternatives Considered: The U.S. is exploring using an Israeli pier in Ashdod as a possible alternative for aid delivery.
- Operational Disruptions: This marks the third weather-related disruption, with previous incidents causing significant damage and injuries.
The Associated Press has the story:
US will remove Gaza aid pier due to weather & may not put it back, officials say
Newslooks- WASHINGTON — (AP)
The pier built by the U.S. military to bring aid to Gaza is being removed due to weather to protect it, and the U.S. is considering not re-installing it unless aid begins flowing out into the population again, several U.S. officials said.
While the military has helped deliver desperately needed food through the pier, the vast majority of it is still sitting in the adjacent storage yard because of the difficulty that agencies have had moving it to areas in Gaza where it is most needed, and that storage area is almost full.
The pier has brought in more than 19 million pounds of food to Gaza but has faced multiple setbacks. Rough seas damaged the pier just days into its initial operations, but the bigger challenge has been that humanitarian convoys have stopped carrying the aid from the pier’s storage area further into Gaza, to get it into civilians’ hands, because they have come under attack.
The U.S. officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military movements.
The U.N., which has the widest reach in delivering aid to starving Palestinians, on June 9 paused distributing food and other emergency supplies in Gaza that arrived through the pier. It came after the Israeli military used an area near the pier to fly out hostages after a rescue that killed more than 270 Palestinians, prompting a U.N. security review over concerns that aid workers’ safety and neutrality may have compromised.
US-built pier in Gaza will be removed again due to weather, US officials say
WASHINGTON — The U.S.-built military pier off the coast of the Gaza Strip could be pulled up again as soon as Friday due to expected rough sea conditions, two U.S. officials said.
The pier will be pulled as the U.S. is looking at alternative ways to get aid into Gaza, including potentially using an existing Israeli pier in nearby Ashdod as an alternative route, one of the officials said. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military planning.
This would be the third time weather has disrupted pier operations. The floating pier was anchored back on Gaza’s shoreline on June 19 after heavy seas and high winds led the military to disconnect it from the beach. In May, similar conditions forced a two-week pause in operations after the pier broke apart and four U.S. Army vessels ran aground, injuring three service members, one critically.
The Pentagon has said previously it was likely going to have to be shut down the pier by the end of the summer due to weather conditions.
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