US military completes installation of Gaza pier, says aid to start flowing within days

The US military has finished installing a floating pier for the Gaza Strip, the US Central Command says, with officials poised to begin ferrying humanitarian aid into the enclave via the sea.

US troops anchored the pier at 7:40 a.m. local time, CENTCOM says in a statement, stressing that none of its forces entered the Gaza Strip.

“Trucks carrying humanitarian assistance are expected to begin moving ashore in the coming days,” the statement says. “The United Nations will receive the aid and coordinate its distribution into Gaza.”

It isn’t immediately clear which UN agency will be involved.

Israeli forces will be in charge of security on the shore, but there are also two US Navy warships near the area in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, the USS Arleigh Burke and the USS Paul Ignatius. Both ships are destroyers equipped with a wide range of weapons and capabilities to protect American troops off shore and allies on the beach.