The United States military announced it has reinstalled a temporary aid dock in Gaza that was damaged by bad weather, saying humanitarian assistance will flow through the floating dock in the “coming days.”
The US military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Friday that the pier will enable the delivery of “much-needed humanitarian aid” to Gaza.
The Palestinian territory has been brought to the brink of famine by a suffocating blockade by Israel, a key US ally that receives billions of dollars in aid from Washington every year.
“In the coming days, CENTCOM will facilitate the movement of vital food and other emergency supplies in support of the U.S. Agency for International Development,” the U.S. military said in a social media post.
June 7, 2024 at 4:09 pm
At approximately 2:15 pm (Gaza local time) on June 7, US Central Command (CENTCOM) successfully re-established the temporary dock in Gaza, allowing for the continued delivery of much-needed humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza. In the coming days, CENTCOM will… pic.twitter.com/YMJiCVGvwP– US Central Command (@CENTCOM) June 7, 2024
Aid groups have long warned that the U.S. dock is an ineffective way to deliver aid and cannot replace opening land routes, which have been blocked or severely restricted by Israel.
In late May, 20 aid organizations, including Amnesty International and Doctors Without Borders, called the US-installed dock part of “cosmetic changes” that fail to adequately resolve the crisis.
“As Israeli attacks intensify in Rafah, the unpredictable flow of aid to Gaza has created a mirage of improved access, while the humanitarian response is, in reality, on the brink of collapse,” the groups said in a statement.
“The ability of aid groups and medical teams to respond has largely collapsed, with temporary solutions such as a ‘floating dock’ and new crossing points having little impact.”
For critics, the $230 million pier has come to symbolize the failures and contradictions of US policy in Gaza.
President Joe Biden’s administration denies that Israel is blocking aid to Gaza, while regularly urging the US ally to allow more assistance to the territory.
The US also provides Israel with billions of dollars in military aid, including heavy bombs and artillery shells that Biden has admitted killed Palestinian civilians.
U.S. laws prohibit military aid from going to countries that block U.S.-supported humanitarian assistance.
Biden announced plans to build the pier in his State of the Union address in March, saying the pier would be capable of “receiving large shipments carrying food, water, medicine and temporary shelter.”
The project was completed in mid-May, but days later waves swept away the ships supporting the pier, raising doubts about the viability of the initiative. At the end of the month, the pier itself suffered damage and needed repairs.
The pier is expected to return to operation as Israel continues to block the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt, which previously served as a major artery for aid and humanitarian workers.
Another major issue worsening the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is the inability to deliver aid to people once it arrives in the territory.
Israel has killed more than 200 aid workers since the start of the war, according to Save the Children.
An Israeli airstrike in April killed seven World Central Kitchen workers delivering aid to the territory, sparking global outrage.
Still, Biden resisted calls to restrict or condition military aid to Israel, often reaffirming his “firm” commitment to the US ally.
In recent days, Israel has killed dozens of Palestinians in UN schools in Gaza that served as shelters for displaced people.
An Al Jazeera visual analysis this week concluded that US weapons were used in an Israeli attack that killed at least 40 people at a school in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.
On Friday, Hamas said Israel’s attack on schools is part of the ongoing U.S.-backed “genocide” against Palestinians.
“The administration of US President Joe Biden assumes full responsibility for these ongoing crimes, continuing to provide the fascist entity with weapons and ammunition, as well as political and diplomatic support, and terrorizing and obstructing international justice from assuming its role in stopping this genocide and holding its perpetrators accountable,” the Palestinian group said in a statement.
This story originally appeared on Aljazeera.com read the full story
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