US will remove Gaza aid pier due to weather and may not put it back, officials say
WASHINGTON — The pier built by the US military The US is considering not re-establishing the Gaza aid post unless aid supplies start flowing to the population again, US officials said on Friday.
Although the military has helped deliver much-needed food through the pier, the vast majority is still in the adjacent warehouse and that area is nearly full. Aid agencies have struggled to move food to areas further afield in Gaza where it is needed most as humanitarian convoys have come under attack.
The UN, which has the widest reach in providing aid to starving Palestinians, has stopped distributing food and other emergency supplies that came through the pier since June 9. The pause came after the Israeli military used an area near the pier to airlift out hostages after they were rescued in a raid more than 270 Palestinians killedprompting a UN security investigation following concerns that the safety and neutrality of aid workers may have been compromised.
Although President Joe Biden’s $230 million project was always intended to be temporary and never touted as a full solution to the challenges of delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza, it has came, faced a series of setbacks. Moreover, it has been criticized by aid groups and Republicans in Congress as a costly diversion.
The pier has been used to bring more than 19.4 million pounds (8.6 million kilograms) of food into Gaza, but has suffered several setbacks. Rough seas damaged the pier just days after initial operations, forcing the army to temporarily remove it for repairs and then reinstall it. Heavy seas on Friday forced the army to remove it again and move it to the Israeli port of Ashdod.
Several U.S. officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military moves, said the military could reinstall the pier in the coming days once the bad weather passes, but that the final decision on whether to reinstall it was still pending. has not been taken.
Sabrina Singh, a Pentagon spokeswoman, acknowledged that she does not know when the pier will be reinstalled. “If the commander decides it is the right time to reinstall that pier, we will keep you informed,” she said.
She also said Friday that more aid is needed to enter Cyprus and be transported to the pier. She noted that the secure area on land is “almost full” but that the goal is still to get aid to Gaza by all means possible. She said the U.S. is in discussions with aid agencies about distributing the food.
But, she added: “If there is not enough space in the marshalling yard, there is obviously no point in putting our men or women out there if there is nothing to do.”