President Joe Biden acknowledged at a NATO press conference on Thursday that plans to set up a temporary pier in Gaza to deliver aid had failed.
“I am disappointed that some of the things I proposed did not work out, such as the port connection from Cyprus. I had hoped that it would be more successful,” he said. Said.
The pier, which cost at least $230 million in U.S. tax money, was in operation for about 20 days, carrying a day’s worth of food, according to the report. 1 report.
Biden unveiled the pier with great fanfare during his State of the Union address in March, and its construction will require more than 1,000 U.S. troops, many of them from Virginia, to help build it.
The pier opened for business on May 17 but collapsed just over a week later. Breitbart News Obtained Exclusive video showing the pier being battered by waves just before it collapsed:
Biden administration officials blamed unpredictable weather for the pier’s collapse, but Navy experts say the pier, known as the Joint Land Resupply System (JLOTS), was never meant to be built in open waters because it cannot handle waves greater than four feet.
The pier was dismantled, repaired, reinstalled, closed, then dismantled again, replaced in place, and dismantled again.
US forces tried again earlier this week to reconnect the pier to the Gaza Strip but failed.
On Wednesday, the Associated Press report The pier will be reattached to distribute the remaining aid and then permanently dismantled.
As for the total amount of aid, it is unclear how much has actually reached those in need.
Much of the aid is stored in distribution points in Cyprus or the Gaza Strip, and humanitarian workers and organizations suspended aid distribution efforts after rumors circulated that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had used the dock in a hostage rescue mission.
Sources also told Breitbart News that the pier is subject to daily gunfire and mortar fire, and that soldiers are given little sleep, work 12- to 48-hour shifts, suffer daily injuries, and, in some cases, are underfed.
One of the soldiers was reportedly crushed by a forklift during a nighttime operation and was taken to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, in critical condition. The Department of Defense has not provided an update on his condition.
The pier was originally estimated to cost $320 million, but the Department of Defense later said it would cost only $230 million. A final cost estimate has not been made public.
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