The Pentagon said Thursday that US forces tried to re-anchor the Gaza pier this week but were unable due to technical and weather-related issues.
The humanitarian aid pier is returning to Ashdod, and no date has been set for re-anchoring, but it will “soon cease operations,” Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said.
“The temporary pier has been a critical part of the United States’ effort to surge assistance into Gaza. To date, more than 8,100 metric tons (nearly 20 million pounds) of humanitarian aid have been delivered from the pier to the marshaling area where it can be collected by humanitarian organizations for onward delivery and distribution,” Ryder said in a statement.
He added that this was the largest amount of aid transported by the US military over a 3-month period and the largest humanitarian response in the Middle East region.
Despite heavy criticism the day President Joe Biden announced plans to build the pier, Ryder said it was always intended to be a temporary solution to enable the additional flow of aid to Gaza during a period of dire humanitarian need. “The pier will soon cease operations, with more details on that process and timing available in the coming days,” he said.
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