Pier damaged: Suspension of naval aid to Gaza

The United States temporarily suspended the delivery of aid to residents of the Gaza Strip through the temporary dock established by the US military. Deputy Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said yesterday in Washington that the pier anchored on the coast was severely damaged by the rough waves.

The system will be released from its moorings within the next 48 hours and towed to Ashdod, where the US military will carry out repairs. The Israeli city is located 30 kilometers from Gaza.

Repairs will take “at least a week”

Singh said the repairs would take at least a week. The pier must then be installed on the coast again. The US government intends to resume the delivery of aid by sea to the residents of the Gaza Strip.

Heavy waves and stormy seas had already destroyed the pier, which was completed about a week and a half ago, over the weekend. The US military announced that due to the sea, four US military ships participating in the mission were released from their moorings.

There have also been problems in the past with the distribution of relief supplies. The Pentagon said last week that some of the trucks had been “intercepted.” An army spokesman stressed that it is a “combat zone and a complex operation.”