Pentagon confirms Gaza aid pier to shut down after unsuccessful attempt to reanchor it

WASHINGTON — The US military’s humanitarian pier off the coast of Gaza, which has been hampered by bad weather and aid distribution problems, will shut down soon, US President Joe Biden’s administration confirms.

While the pier has brought in 8,100 metric tons of aid to a marshaling area on Gaza’s shore since it started operating in May, the 1,200-foot-long (370-meter-long) floating pier has had to be removed multiple times because of bad weather.

Pentagon spokesperson Air Force Major General Patrick Ryder says the military unsuccessfully tried to reanchor the pier yesterday. There is no new date for a reanchoring, but the effort will soon end.

“The pier has always been intended as a temporary solution to enable the additional flow of aid into Gaza during a period of dire humanitarian need … the pier will soon cease operations,” Ryder says,

US officials have told Reuters that the pier operations could shift to the Israeli port of Ashdod as soon as next week, when aid meant for the pier in Cyprus could dry up.