The United States announced on Wednesday that it has concluded the operation to send aid to the Gaza Strip, where more than 38,700 Palestinians have died as a result of the Israeli offensive, and will dismantle the temporary floating dock it had built to provide humanitarian aid to Gaza territory, although no specific date has been specified for when it will cease to operate permanently.
The deputy commander of the United States Central Command (CENTCOM), Brad Cooper, has detailed in a press conference that the floating structure has remained operational for “just over 20 days”, during which the American mission “has achieved the desired effect”, he added before announcing that the officials who are currently working on the infrastructure will soon withdraw.
Pentagon spokesman Patrick Ryder said in a statement last week that CENTCOM personnel had begun dismantling the infrastructure because of continued adverse weather and ongoing security concerns that have limited the amount of supplies that could reach Gazans.
Since the pier was established, the US military has been forced to halt humanitarian aid shipments to Hamas-controlled Gaza because of high tides on up to four occasions.
A much criticized pier
US officials are building a temporary port from which attempts have been made to send humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.
The temporary pier has been harshly criticized by humanitarian organizations working in the region and by some U.S. congressmen for its high cost (with a budget of $230 million) and its limited capacity to deliver humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.
The Pentagon, however, has defended the facility as the best hope for getting supplies through. It says 9 million kilograms of food and other supplies have been delivered through the temporary US dock to Gaza, where many are at risk of starvation.
US President Joe Biden, who announced the construction of the pier during his State of the Union address in March, expressed disappointment at a press conference last week, acknowledging that it had not worked as well as expected. “I’ve been disappointed that some of the things I proposed have not been as successful, like the pier,” the president said.
The pier was installed on May 16, but was soon affected by bad weather and had to be removed for repairs. It was reinstalled on June 7, but a week later, on June 14, it was moved to the southern part of Israel’s coast, specifically to the town of Ashdod, where it is protected from high tides. In total, after its commissioning, the pier was only operational for 25 days.
In addition, the distribution of humanitarian aid has not flowed as expected. The UN World Food Programme suspended deliveries of aid arriving via the pier last month due to the poor security situation on the ground with constant Israeli attacks.
Source: www.huffingtonpost.es
