The U.S. military has repaired a temporary pier for humanitarian relief and on Friday reattached it to the Gaza shore, more than a week after it broke apart in high seas, the military said.
Army Corps Of Engineers workers completed the work on Friday morning, Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, the deputy commander of U.S. Central Command, told reporters in a briefing call. The $230-million floating pier, which American officials have lauded as part of a solution to getting more aid into hunger-stricken Gaza, has been troubled by logistical and security issues.
Admiral Cooper said that aid would begin to flow through the pier again “in the coming days.”
He said that military engineers “provided all the necessary support to ensure the safe and placement of the pier to the beach,” adding: “The policy of no U.S. boots on the ground does remain in effect.” White House policy does not allow U.S. troops on the ground in Gaza.
Once the aid resumes, Admiral Cooper estimated, about one million pounds of goods would enter Gaza through the pier over each two-day period.
In early March, President Biden surprised the Pentagon by announcing that the U.S. military would build a pier for Gaza.
In the days after it became operational on May 17, trucks were looted as they made their way to a warehouse, forcing the U.N. World Food Program to suspend operations. After officials beefed up security, the weather turned bad. American officials had been hoping that the sea surges would not start until later in the summer.
The situation in Gaza remains dire. Health officials say more than 36,000 people have been killed; many people have been displaced; and the United Nations has warned that famine is looming.
