U.S. Aid Delivery to Gaza Disrupted as Military Pier Needs Repairs

The U.S.-built pier off Gaza’s coast, intended for delivering humanitarian aid, is undergoing temporary removal for repairs after a section of the structure broke off, the Pentagon announced on Tuesday.

The pier, part of a $320 million initiative announced by President Joe Biden in March, involved the deployment of about 1,000 U.S. service members to assemble the floating structure. It became operational two weeks ago but experienced a setback when a portion of it separated, requiring towing to Ashdod port in Israel for repairs.

According to Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh, the repair process is expected to take over a week before the pier is returned to its position off the coast of Gaza.

U.S. officials, speaking anonymously to Reuters, attributed the breakage to bad weather conditions.

Since its launch, the pier facilitated the transport of 137 trucks of aid, totaling 900 metric tons, according to a spokesperson from the U.N. World Food Programme.