US military says 1.4 million pounds of aid unloaded since Gaza pier reopened

More than 656 metric tons, or 1.4 million pounds, of aid were delivered through the U.S. military-built pier in Gaza on Thursday in the hours after it resumed operations, Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder says.

The pier was re-anchored to the beach in Gaza and started operating Wednesday after the military temporarily removed it due to difficult weather conditions, Ryder says. Aid groups have decried the pier as a distraction that took pressure off Israel to open more land border crossings, which are far more productive.

Since the pier opened on May 17, more than 4,100 tons, or 9.1 million pounds, of food and aid have been delivered by sea and unloaded in Gaza. However, much of the aid has lingered in the storage area right by the pier, so although it was delivered to Gaza, it has not been distributed.

Ryder directed questions regarding aid distribution to the United Nations’ World Food Program.

The UN has suspended cooperation with the US-led pier project since June 9, claiming that the Israeli military used the area around the pier in a hostage rescue that killed more than 270 Palestinians.

The US and Israeli militaries say no part of the pier was used in the raid. The UN is concerned that any such use — or even a perception of it by fighters and ordinary people in Gaza — makes their continued role in the project untenable.

At issue is the safety of humanitarian workers, and humanitarian groups’ principles of neutrality, the UN says.