A recently installed humanitarian aid pier in Gaza, which is budgeted at roughly $300m, will be temporarily removed for repairs. It is expected the repairs to the pier to take approximately one week.
The Pentagon said on Tuesday that the defence department is working to recover three of four vessels associated with its temporary humanitarian aid pier in Gaza after rough seas caused the motorized sections to run aground May 25.
The vessels broke free from their anchors and beached ashore after suffering a loss of power, Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters.
“As of today, one of the army vessels that was beached on the coast of Israel near Ashkelon has been recovered. The second vessel that was also beached near Ashkelon will be recovered in the next 24 hours, and the remaining two vessels that were beached near the Trident pier are expected to be recovered in the next 48 hours,” Singh said, adding that the Israeli navy is assisting in the recovery efforts.
The plan is U.S. forces to remove the pier from its anchored position on the coast and tow it back to the Israeli coastal city of Ashdod to begin repairs.
Meanwhile, Singh said, U.S. forces are currently loading humanitarian aid into vessels in Cyprus for transport to Gaza so that it can roll out immediately once the repaired pier is reattached to the shoreline in the coming days.
First announced March 8 of this year after President Joe Biden called on the military to lead the temporary humanitarian aid operation, the pier became operational on May 17.
When questioned as to whether the pier is durable enough to complete its mission, Singh said the Department of Defence is optimistic.
When further pressed as to whether the pier is worth the cost, Singh reiterated how much aid the pier was able to get into Gaza in just a short period of time.
