US military suspends aid deliveries to Gaza Strip due to pier damage

The US military temporarily suspends aid deliveries into the Gaza Strip due to damage to its temporary pier caused by bad weather

The information provided indicates that the US military has temporarily suspended aid deliveries into the Gaza Strip by sea due to damage to its temporary pier caused by bad weather. Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh stated that high seas and a North African weather system led to a section of the pier coming away on Tuesday morning.

Singh mentioned that the rebuilding and repairing of the pier will take over a week, and after completion, it will need to be re-anchored to the coast of Gaza. The intention is to resume humanitarian aid deliveries to the affected population once the pier is repaired and reassembled.

This setback is the latest in a series of issues faced by the pier, which opened two weeks ago. US Central Command (CENTCOM) reported that four US Army vessels supporting the pier broke free from their moorings and ran aground in heavy seas last Saturday. Two of these vessels beached in Gaza, while the other two washed up on the coast of Israel, approximately 30 miles south of Tel Aviv. One vessel has been recovered, and efforts are underway to retrieve the remaining three within 48 hours.

The Gaza Strip is currently experiencing a severe humanitarian crisis amid ongoing conflict. Israel’s retaliatory offensive has resulted in significant casualties, with thousands of people killed, mostly civilians, according to official figures. The conflict has exacerbated existing challenges, including a siege imposed by Israel, which has limited access to essential resources such as clean water, food, medicines, and fuel for Gaza’s 2.4 million residents.

The construction of the temporary pier was initially announced by US President Joe Biden in March as a means to alleviate restrictions on aid delivery imposed by Israel. Despite the challenges faced, CENTCOM reported that over 1,000 metric tons of aid had been delivered from the sea to the beach transfer point as of Friday, with the majority distributed to the UN warehouse for further distribution.

Source: AFP