US preparing to temporarily remove Gaza pier due to sea conditions

(Patria) - The US military is preparing to temporarily remove its humanitarian pier off the coast of Gaza due to expected sea conditions, a US official said on Friday, the latest challenge to efforts that have been hampered by bad weather since it was set up in May, Reuters reported.

The floating US military pier off Gaza has just resumed delivering humanitarian aid to the enclave after the process was suspended over the weekend.
The official, who wished to remain anonymous, said the pier would likely be moved to the Israeli port of Ashdod until sea conditions improve.

Aid began arriving via the pier built by the United States on May 17, and the United Nations said it had transported 137 trucks of aid to warehouses, about 900 metric tons, before the US announced a suspension of operations on May 28 to carry out repairs.

The United Nations said on Friday that it had not yet resumed the transport of aid from the pier to the warehouses of the UN World Food Programme.

"Our security colleagues are still working to re-establish safe conditions for humanitarian work," said UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq.

US President Joe Biden announced a plan in March to set up a pier for aid delivery in Gaza due to widespread hunger. The pier is estimated to cost hundreds of millions of dollars in the first 90 days and involve about
1,000 US personnel.