The US military is once again removing the Gaza pier due to bad weather and there is no clear timeline on when it will be re-anchored, the Pentagon confirmed on Friday.
Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said rough seas and strong winds had forced the military to temporarily dismantle the pier and ship it to the Israeli port city of Ashdod, but did not say when it would be back in operation in amid speculation that this would not happen.
“When the commander decides the time is right to reinstall that pier, we will keep you updated on that,” she said. “As we have always said about the pier, it is meant to be temporary.
“It’s not the long-term solution or the solution for land routes, we know it’s the most effective way in,” Singh added. “But that’s really a decision the commander will make as we continue to assess high seas states.”
Since the pier came into operation on May 17, more than £19 million of humanitarian aid has been delivered through the maritime corridor. Over the past seven days, the U.S. has delivered nearly 10 million pounds of humanitarian aid to the staging area in Gaza via the pier.
The $230 million pier has been removed at least three times since it was first installed. The first time was by accident, when bad weather destroyed the bridge and forced the military to carry out repairs.
The Pentagon watchdog has launched a review of US military efforts to bring humanitarian aid to Gaza through the docks.
Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, sent a letter to the Pentagon this week expressing his concern about an operation that he said was “riddled with setbacks, sidelined more often than operational, and can only be classified as a gross waste of taxpayer dollars.”
“I urge the administration to immediately cease this failed operation before a new catastrophe occurs and to consider alternative means of delivering humanitarian aid by ground and air,” Rogers wrote.
The Pentagon has argued that the pier is a crucial part of humanitarian aid efforts in Gaza, where Palestinians struggle to access food and water as Israel wages a major war against Hamas.
“This pier provided the second highest volume of aid of all other crossings in Gaza,” Singh said on Friday, noting that it demonstrated its importance.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
