US halts aid delivery into Gaza via newly built pier

The US has halted delivering aid into Gaza via the newly built pier after bad weather and high tides caused significant damage.

The Pentagon added that the military pier off the coast of Gaza is being removed for repairs and will be returned once it is fixed.

Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said the pier will take over a week to put back together and will be done at the port of Ashdod.

The Pentagon had said there were soldiers stuck on three Army boats after the Gaza pier broke apart over the weekend.

Over the weekend, the US military said four Army vessels supporting the Gaza pier mission were affected by heavy sea states. Two of the vessels were anchored on the beach near the pier and the other two were beached on the coast of Israel near Ashkelon, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said.

Videos have gone viral showing parts of US vessels and the pier itself floating in different areas.

Three US servicemembers were injured last week during pier operations with two suffering minor injuries and returning to duty shortly after. The third troop was medically evacuated to a local Israel hospital for further treatment and is in critical condition.