Aid supplies began flowing into the Gaza Strip from southern Israel on Sunday after a US-made “floating platform” in the Mediterranean was damaged by weather.
Due to disagreements with Egypt, the new aid shipments are being routed through southern Israel, where the IDF has taken control of the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing, which has typically been used to deliver aid during the conflict.
Egypt closed its side of the border when Israel took control of the Gaza side and has said it will not reopen the border until control is given to the Palestinians.
Hundreds of aid trucks passed through Israel’s Kerem Shalom checkpoint this weekend, but UN officials say heavy fighting nearby is making it difficult to deliver aid.
The aid is all the more crucial after a US-built “floating dock” off Gaza’s coast was damaged, with four boats trying to stabilize it swept away in rough seas this weekend.
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Trucks carrying humanitarian aid from the United Arab Emirates and the United States Agency for International Development cross Trident Pier onto the Gaza Strip coast on May 17, 2024. The pier has since been damaged by heavy seas.
Two of the boats drifted north and landed on the coast of Ashdod, Israel, while the other two remain anchored on the shore near a pier. The Wall Street Journal.
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“Efforts are underway to recover the vessel with the assistance of the Israeli Navy,” U.S. Central Command said in a statement.
The US spent about $320 million to build the pier, which serves as a conduit for aid from the US and other countries. The pier has been used to deliver about 569 tons of aid to the Gaza Strip, but as of last week, the Pentagon confirmed that none of it had reached the Palestinians.
Aid supplies began flowing into the Gaza Strip from southern Israel on Sunday after a US-made “floating dock” in the Mediterranean was damaged by weather.
Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder confirmed the delay in the aid in a statement to reporters on Tuesday.
About 1,000 US troops are working on the pier construction, and although both the US and Israel have stressed that US forces are not entering the Gaza Strip during the operation, three US soldiers were injured in accidents during operations at the pier over the past week.
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Amid ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, a photo taken from the centre of the Gaza Strip shows Palestinians gathering in the hope of receiving aid delivered to Gaza through a US-built pier. (Reuters/Ramadan Abed/File Photo)
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The US says the pier remains largely operational despite damage sustained this weekend, and the Israeli navy is helping with efforts to salvage two boats that washed up on the shores of Ashdod, The Wall Street Journal reported.
