Israel Pentagon: Operation of the Gaza pier will soon cease

The temporary jetty for humanitarian aid set up by the US military on the coast of the Gaza Strip will soon cease all operations. The pier was always intended as a temporary solution to enable the delivery of additional aid to the coastal area, Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder announced. Operations will therefore cease shortly. Further details on the timetable would be communicated later.

At the end of June, the system was dismantled anyway due to rough seas and towed to Ashdod on the Israeli coast. An attempt was made on Wednesday to anchor the temporary mooring back on the Gaza Strip beach. This was not successful due to technical and weather-related problems. The equipment will be returned to Ashdod. "A date for the re-anchoring has not yet been set." This information left open whether the temporary port will be used again before the final end of operations.

Under the temporary arrangement, freighters initially bring aid supplies from Cyprus to a floating platform a few kilometers off the coast of the Gaza Strip. The goods are then loaded onto smaller ships that can sail closer to the coast. These then dock with the truckloads at the temporary pier attached to the coast. There, the deliveries are received and distributed by aid organizations.

However, there have been constant problems since it went into operation in May. The pier has been damaged in heavy seas. The distribution of relief supplies for the suffering people in the embattled coastal strip has also proved to be more than difficult.