US to permanently close off Gaza aid pier calling for additional flow of supplies to come via land
UNABLE TO BUILD A BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATERS
A satellite image shows the remaining section of the temporary Gaza pier on May 29, after it broke in rough seas. (Maxar Technologies via AP)
In short:
The United States has announced it will wind down operations of a pier it built in May to deliver much-needed humanitarian aid to Gazans stranded in the war.
Although an initial success, the pier broke down and had to be removed multiple times due to bad weather, with its latest re-anchoring effort this week also failing.
What's next?
US officials say getting supplies into the Palestinian enclave was the "real issue right now" but argue the most effective means is through land transfers.
The US says its humanitarian pier off the coast of Gaza, which has been hampered by bad weather and aid distribution problems, will shut down soon.
President Joe Biden announced in March plans to put the pier in place for aid deliveries as famine loomed in Gaza, an enclave of 2.3 million people, locked by land to its north, south and east, and the sea to the west.
While the pier has brought in 8,100 metric tons of aid to a marshalling area on Gaza's shore since it started operating in May, the 370 metre floating pier has had to be removed multiple times because of bad weather.
Much of the aid has not reached hungry Gazans after the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) paused operations in June because of security concerns.
The US-built aid pier operated for just 20 days, being removed several times due to weather damage before it was decided to be shut.(U.S. Central Command via AP)
Pentagon spokesperson Air Force Major General Patrick Ryder on Thursday, local time, said the military unsuccessfully tried to re-anchor the pier on Wednesday.
He did not clarify a new date for a re-anchoring, but said the effort would soon end.
"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 … the pier will soon cease operations," Mr Ryder said.
US officials have told Reuters the pier operations could shift to the Israeli port of Ashdod as soon as next week
In short:
The United States has announced it will wind down operations of a pier it built in May to deliver much-needed humanitarian aid to Gazans stranded in the war.
Although an initial success, the pier broke down and had to be removed multiple times due to bad weather, with its latest re-anchoring effort this week also failing.
What's next?
US officials say getting supplies into the Palestinian enclave was the "real issue right now" but argue the most effective means is through land transfers.
The US says its humanitarian pier off the coast of Gaza, which has been hampered by bad weather and aid distribution problems, will shut down soon.
President Joe Biden announced in March plans to put the pier in place for aid deliveries as famine loomed in Gaza, an enclave of 2.3 million people, locked by land to its north, south and east, and the sea to the west.
While the pier has brought in 8,100 metric tons of aid to a marshalling area on Gaza's shore since it started operating in May, the 370 metre floating pier has had to be removed multiple times because of bad weather.
Much of the aid has not reached hungry Gazans after the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) paused operations in June because of security concerns.
The US-built aid pier operated for just 20 days, being removed several times due to weather damage before it was decided to be shut.(U.S. Central Command via AP)
Pentagon spokesperson Air Force Major General Patrick Ryder on Thursday, local time, said the military unsuccessfully tried to re-anchor the pier on Wednesday.
He did not clarify a new date for a re-anchoring, but said the effort would soon end.
"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 … the pier will soon cease operations," Mr Ryder said.
US officials have told Reuters the pier operations could shift to the Israeli port of Ashdod as soon as next week
.
Palestinians gather in the hope of obtaining aid delivered into Gaza through the pier, 10 days before it broke in May.(Reuters: Ramadan Abed)
White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters the pier had helped bring urgently needed food and humanitarian aid to Gaza, but there were now additional supplies entering the Palestinian enclave via land routes.
"The real issue right now is not about getting aid into Gaza. It's about getting aid around Gaza effectively," he said, citing lawlessness, armed gangs and in some cases, the Hamas militant group trying to disrupt aid distribution.
The UN has long said maritime deliveries were no substitute for land access. It said land routes needed to remain the focus of aid operations in the enclave, where a global hunger monitor last month said there was a high risk of famine.
"We welcomed the pier as an additional resource while it worked. We will keep pushing for what we actually need, which is large-scale road transfer of aid into Gaza," UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters.
The UN had been overseeing the transportation of aid from the pier to WFP warehouses, but that involvement was suspended for a security review after a June 8 hostage-rescue mission in the area by the Israeli military.
Late last month, WFP said it had arranged for commercial operators to instead start clearing aid that had accumulated at the pier to avoid spoilage.
The US military estimates the pier will cost more than $200 million and involve about 1,000 service members.
Separately on Thursday, the US Senate narrowly voted to block legislation introduced by Republican senator Ted Cruz that would have cut off funding for the pier.
Reuters
Palestinians gather in the hope of obtaining aid delivered into Gaza through the pier, 10 days before it broke in May.(Reuters: Ramadan Abed)
White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters the pier had helped bring urgently needed food and humanitarian aid to Gaza, but there were now additional supplies entering the Palestinian enclave via land routes.
"The real issue right now is not about getting aid into Gaza. It's about getting aid around Gaza effectively," he said, citing lawlessness, armed gangs and in some cases, the Hamas militant group trying to disrupt aid distribution.
The UN has long said maritime deliveries were no substitute for land access. It said land routes needed to remain the focus of aid operations in the enclave, where a global hunger monitor last month said there was a high risk of famine.
"We welcomed the pier as an additional resource while it worked. We will keep pushing for what we actually need, which is large-scale road transfer of aid into Gaza," UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters.
The UN had been overseeing the transportation of aid from the pier to WFP warehouses, but that involvement was suspended for a security review after a June 8 hostage-rescue mission in the area by the Israeli military.
Late last month, WFP said it had arranged for commercial operators to instead start clearing aid that had accumulated at the pier to avoid spoilage.
The US military estimates the pier will cost more than $200 million and involve about 1,000 service members.
Separately on Thursday, the US Senate narrowly voted to block legislation introduced by Republican senator Ted Cruz that would have cut off funding for the pier.
Reuters
US set to wind down Gaza pier operations
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan says US ‘will wind down pier operations’ in ‘relatively short order’.
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan says US ‘will wind down pier operations’ in ‘relatively short order’.
A truck carries humanitarian aid across Trident Pier, a temporary pier to deliver aid, off the Gaza Strip [File: Amir Cohen/Reuters]
Published On 11 Jul 2024
The United States has said it will soon end operations from its pier designed to increase the flow of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip amid Israel’s continuing war.
The $230m pier has repeatedly been detached from the shore because of weather conditions since its initial installation in mid-May, and the project also faced problems with the distribution of assistance due to conditions onshore.
“I do anticipate that in relatively short order, we will wind down pier operations,” National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told journalists on Thursday.
Pentagon spokesman Major-General Pat Ryder said in a statement that “the pier will soon cease operations, with more details on that process and timing available in the coming days”.
A United Nations report says 96 percent of Gaza’s population is food insecure, and one in five Palestinians, or about 495,000 people, face starvation amid Israel’s nine-month war on the territory.
While the pier has brought in 8,100 metric tonnes of aid to a marshalling area on Gaza’s shore since it started operating in May, the 370m (1,200-foot) floating pier has had to be removed multiple times because of bad weather.
Sullivan said the pier helped bring urgently needed food and other aid to Gaza, but additional supplies are now coming into the Palestinian enclave via land routes.
“The real issue right now is not about getting aid into Gaza. It’s about getting aid around Gaza effectively,” he told reporters
The United States has said it will soon end operations from its pier designed to increase the flow of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip amid Israel’s continuing war.
The $230m pier has repeatedly been detached from the shore because of weather conditions since its initial installation in mid-May, and the project also faced problems with the distribution of assistance due to conditions onshore.
“I do anticipate that in relatively short order, we will wind down pier operations,” National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told journalists on Thursday.
Pentagon spokesman Major-General Pat Ryder said in a statement that “the pier will soon cease operations, with more details on that process and timing available in the coming days”.
A United Nations report says 96 percent of Gaza’s population is food insecure, and one in five Palestinians, or about 495,000 people, face starvation amid Israel’s nine-month war on the territory.
While the pier has brought in 8,100 metric tonnes of aid to a marshalling area on Gaza’s shore since it started operating in May, the 370m (1,200-foot) floating pier has had to be removed multiple times because of bad weather.
Sullivan said the pier helped bring urgently needed food and other aid to Gaza, but additional supplies are now coming into the Palestinian enclave via land routes.
“The real issue right now is not about getting aid into Gaza. It’s about getting aid around Gaza effectively,” he told reporters
.
A satellite image shows an overview of the Trident Pier in Gaza [File: Maxar Technologies/Handout via Reuters]
Military personnel attempted to re-anchor the temporary Gaza pier to the beach on Wednesday after technical and weather-related issues, but were unable to do so.
The project has also been hampered by security threats that prompted aid agencies to halt distribution of the food and other supplies into Gaza.
The aid groups have said that while any amount of food for Gaza is welcome, many have criticised the project as a costly distraction, saying the US should concentrate on pressuring Israel to allow more aid through land borders, which have long been considered the most productive option.
The UN suspended all World Food Programme (WFP) deliveries from the pier after a June 8 Israeli military raid that secured the release of four Israeli hostages but killed hundreds of Palestinians, citing concerns that troops used an area near there for flying out the rescued hostages by helicopter.
Aid flowing through the pier then began piling up in the secure area on the beach, but the WFP eventually hired contractors to move it into storage areas for further distribution. The US Defense Department said this week that a significant amount of the aid had been cleared out.
Military personnel attempted to re-anchor the temporary Gaza pier to the beach on Wednesday after technical and weather-related issues, but were unable to do so.
The project has also been hampered by security threats that prompted aid agencies to halt distribution of the food and other supplies into Gaza.
The aid groups have said that while any amount of food for Gaza is welcome, many have criticised the project as a costly distraction, saying the US should concentrate on pressuring Israel to allow more aid through land borders, which have long been considered the most productive option.
The UN suspended all World Food Programme (WFP) deliveries from the pier after a June 8 Israeli military raid that secured the release of four Israeli hostages but killed hundreds of Palestinians, citing concerns that troops used an area near there for flying out the rescued hostages by helicopter.
Aid flowing through the pier then began piling up in the secure area on the beach, but the WFP eventually hired contractors to move it into storage areas for further distribution. The US Defense Department said this week that a significant amount of the aid had been cleared out.
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