Gaza war: US says floating aid pier to shut down soon

At the end of June, US Central Command (Centcom) said more than 8,831 tonnes of aid had been delivered, with more than half of that arriving over the course of the previous week.

But it also announced yet another setback, saying that “due to anticipated adverse weather”, the pier had to be moved back to Ashdod once more.

It was due to be reinstalled this week to deal with a backlog of aid that has accumulated in Cyprus and on a floating dock moored off the Gaza coastline.

But on Thursday, Pentagon spokesman Maj Gen Pat Ryder announced that Centcom personnel were unable to re-anchor the pier to the shore.

“The pier and support vessels and equipment are returning to Ashdod where they will remain until further notice. A re-anchoring date has not been set,” he said.

He added: “As highlighted in the initial deployment announcement, the pier has always been intended as a temporary solution to enable the additional flow of aid into Gaza during a period of dire humanitarian need, with limited access, supplementing land and air channels of delivery.”

“The pier will soon cease operations, with more details on that process and timing available in the coming days.”

The total delivered so far represents a tiny fraction of what is needed.

According to the UN, about 500 aid trucks entered Gaza every day before the start of the war between Israel and Hamas last October.

The comparisons are imprecise, but over the course of two months, the US pier has delivered roughly the equivalent of one day’s pre-war aid delivery.

And getting the aid ashore has only been part of the challenge. Delivering it, safely, to the people who need it is extremely hazardous.

With Israeli troops this week mounting a fresh ground operation into nearby Gaza City, ensuring safety for aid workers remains as challenging as ever.

The breakdown of law and order throughout the Gaza Strip as a result of Israel’s relentless targeting of anyone associated with Hamas, including police officers, means that looting – whether organised or opportunistic – is still rife.

Aid that has made it ashore has often remained stuck in the Israeli-controlled marshalling yard, with aid agencies reluctant to collect and distribute it in such an insecure environment.