The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has suspended food distribution activities from a US-built dock in the Gaza Strip following rocket attacks on a warehouse there, dealing a new blow to efforts to deliver humanitarian aid to the Strip from the dock.
The United States spent about $320 million to build a pier in the Mediterranean Sea to facilitate shipping. Aid to GazaBut there were chaotic scenes of hundreds of Palestinians looting aid convoys and buildings were damaged by bad weather.
About 492 tons of aid arrived at the wharf on Saturday, U.S. Central Command said.
Before and after: Photos show Biden’s destruction of $320 million Gaza dock
This image shows Trident Pier in the Gaza Strip on May 16, 2024. (U.S. Central Command via The Associated Press)
“To date, USCENTCOM has supported the delivery of more than 1,573 tons (approximately 3.5 million pounds) of humanitarian aid. No U.S. military personnel have landed in the Gaza Strip,” the agency said in a statement. “This ongoing effort to support the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in providing additional assistance to Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip is entirely humanitarian in nature and involves aid donated by multiple countries and humanitarian organizations.”
But on Sunday, WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain said the U.N. program was suspending distribution due to safety concerns.
“We are currently on hiatus due to concerns for the safety of the public following yesterday’s incident,” she said. CBS News.
An image provided by U.S. Central Command shows U.S. Army soldiers assigned to the 7th Transportation Brigade (Expeditionary), U.S. Navy sailors assigned to the 1st Amphibious Construction Battalion, and the Israel Defense Forces installing a Trident pier on a beach in the Gaza Strip, Thursday, May 16, 2024. The temporary pier is part of the Joint Coastal Logistics Function. U.S. troops finished installing the floating pier Thursday as officials prepare to begin delivering badly needed humanitarian aid to the besieged enclave, where fighting has been fierce for more than seven months in the war between Israel and Hamas. (U.S. Central Command via The Associated Press)
McCain said two warehouses came under rocket attack on Saturday.[S]We’ve taken a step back for now to make sure we’re in safe conditions and a safe position before we reopen.”
Operations are continuing elsewhere, she said.
“To ensure the safety of our staff and partners, operations on the pontoon platform will be temporarily suspended pending a UN safety assessment,” WFP said in a post on its Twitter account.
Controversy grows over Biden’s Gaza dock construction, raising concerns over cost and safety
The UN confirmed that WFP had “suspended its activities at the floating platform pending a thorough assessment of the security situation to ensure the safety of staff and partners.”
A Pentagon spokesman confirmed to Fox News Digital that the pier remains operational and that 1,573 tons of supplies have been removed from it, but said US military personnel are not operating in the Gaza Strip.
Click here to get the FOX News app
Cindy McCain, Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Programme. (United Nations via Reuters Connect)
Relief agencies have called on Israel to reopen the land route to deliver aid to Gaza, but Israel says it has allowed trucks through and blames the UN for aid not being distributed.
President Biden announced plans to build the pier during his State of the Union address in March and it was initially estimated it would be completed within 60 days, but the ambulance didn’t arrive at the pier until May 17.
Jonathan Conricus, a former Israel Defense Forces spokesman and senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital that “continued aid to civilians in Gaza is Israel’s top priority as it continues to fight and ultimately defeat Hamas, and liberate both Israel and Gaza from this brutal terrorist regime.”
“Hamas continues to deliberately disrupt aid deliveries, raiding and looting warehouses, intercepting aid convoys, and stealing and selling international aid,” he said. “Looking at the actions of UN officials since October 7, I cannot wait for them to condemn Hamas’ attempts to disrupt aid deliveries and criticize Israel. I urge WFP and all other international NGOs to resume aid deliveries.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
