On Saturday, U.S. Central Command reported that much-needed aid had finally made its way into Gaza through an American-built pier that had recently undergone repairs. The delivery comes after a series of setbacks that hindered previous attempts to transport supplies to the Palestinian people via the sea.
After just a week of being operational, the pier built by the American military was destroyed by strong winds and rough seas on May 25. However, the damaged section was recently repaired at an Israeli port and reconnected to the beach in Gaza last Friday.
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In a recent statement, CENTCOM reported that they delivered approximately 1.1 million pounds of aid on Saturday through the pier. They also mentioned that the pier was opened in mid-May, and since then, they have successfully delivered a total of 3.5 million pounds of aid.
On the same day that Israel launched a forceful air and ground attack on the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza, rescuing four hostages who had been taken by Hamas during the October 7th attack that initiated the Gaza war, the delivery arrived. The Gaza-based government media office run by Hamas reported that the raid resulted in the deaths of at least 210 Palestinians and left over 400 injured.
Over the weekend, a video surfaced online showing an Israel Defense Forces helicopter departing from the beach, with the U.S. pier visible in the background. However, according to two U.S. officials who spoke with CBS News, the pier was not utilized in the IDF’s operation. The officials clarified that the helicopter landed on a beach south of the facility, but not within the restricted area of the pier.
On Saturday, U.S. Central Command released a statement reaffirming that the pier facility, along with all of its equipment, personnel, and assets, was not utilized in the recent operation to rescue hostages in Gaza.
After months of conflict between Israel and Hamas, a long-awaited repair has finally brought back online a crucial route for delivering much-needed food and emergency supplies to the Palestinian people. Due to Israeli-imposed restrictions on land crossings and ongoing fighting, the flow of vital supplies into the territory has been severely limited, leaving many in desperate need. But with this repair, there is hope that some relief can be provided to those caught in the midst of the conflict.
Heavy seas caused significant damage to the pier, further complicating the already challenging task of delivering food to Palestinians in need. During the incident, three U.S. service members sustained injuries, including one critical, and four vessels were beached.
Initially, aid agencies faced obstacles in transporting aid from the pier to the Gaza Strip. Crowds disrupted the convoy of trucks, which was carrying food, and stripped the cargo from many of them before they could reach the U.N. warehouse. However, officials responded promptly by changing the travel routes, which enabled aid to reach those who were in dire need of it.
Israel is under pressure from relief agencies to reopen land routes that could facilitate the delivery of essential aid. While Israel claims to have allowed hundreds of trucks to enter through a southern checkpoint, it blames the U.N. for not distributing the aid. On the other hand, the U.N. asserts that it is frequently unable to retrieve the aid due to the precarious security situation.
If the hostilities persist, U.N. agencies have cautioned that more than one million Palestinians in Gaza could face the most severe level of starvation by the middle of next month.
Right from the beginning, the Biden administration has made it clear that the pier was not intended to be the ultimate solution, but rather any form of assistance would be beneficial.
During his State of the Union address in early March, Biden unveiled his plan for the U.S. military to construct a pier. The military estimated that it would take approximately 60 days to complete the installation and make it functional. However, the process took longer than anticipated, and the first trucks carrying aid for the Gaza Strip were finally able to use the pier on May 17.
According to recent reports, the estimated cost for the project was initially set at $320 million. However, the Pentagon has announced that the cost has now decreased to $230 million, thanks to contributions from Britain and a lower than expected cost for contracting trucks and other equipment.
