US reopens Gaza pier, resuming humanitarian aid deliveries
A pier built by the U.S. military to deliver aid to Gaza has reopened, despite being closed twice as the fighting between Israel and Hamas continues.
On Thursday, the pier was up and running again, with aid being transported to shore.
Pentagon press secretary, Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, told reporters on Thursday that the transfer of humanitarian assistance had resumed, with over 1.4 million pounds of supplies being delivered to the marshaling yard in Gaza.
The announcement comes after Ryder told reporters on Tuesday the U.S. was aiming to get the pier back online sometime this week after it was dismantled last week in anticipation of high seas.
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The U.S. has spent some $320 million building the pier in the Mediterranean Sea to facilitate the delivery of aid into Gaza. But there have been chaotic scenes of hundreds of Palestinians looting aid convoys, and the structure has been battered by choppy weather.
The pier has faced challenges since opening in late May, including choppy weather that battered the structure, forcing it to go offline. Prior to that, four vessels that had stabilized the pier broke off due to choppy waters, which forced its closure.
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The Biden administration announced plans for the pier in March as a way to get crucial aid to Palestinians as basic necessities remain scarce in Gaza.
The pier's failure came as Israel conducted a sizable operation in Rafah, with tanks rolling into the heart of the city for the first time since the war began.
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On Tuesday, Ryder said he wasn't aware of plans to dismantle the pier.
"I’m not tracking any established timeline at this point, in terms of when the pier will stop operating, again with the caveat that this was always intended to be a temporary pier," he said. "I’m not aware at this point of any established date of when we’re going to stop."
When asked on Thursday by a reporter how much of the aid had actually moved out of the marshaling yard and the ultimate destinations, Ryder would not answer, but instead, redirected to USAID and others responsible for distribution.
Still, he said since May 17, when the temporary pier first became operational, over 9.1 million pounds of humanitarian aid have been delivered through the Maritime Corridore.
Ryder reiterated the same message on Thursday as he did before, that while it has always been the DoD’s intention for the pier to be a temporary solution, an end date for the mission has not yet been established.