Pentagon reveals 62 US troops – not 3 – were hurt during operation of Gaza aid pier
Inspector General report says number of servicemembers injured while operating Biden’s failed aid project is far higher than previously acknowledged
WASHINGTON — More than 60 American service members were injured as a part of former US President Joe Biden’s floating aid pier in Gaza, a Pentagon Inspector General report published on Tuesday said, a number significantly higher than had been previously disclosed.
The pier, announced by Biden during a televised address to Congress in March 2024, was a massive endeavor that took about 1,000 US forces to execute.
However, bad weather and distribution challenges inside Gaza limited the effectiveness of what the US military says was its biggest aid delivery effort ever in the Middle East. The pier was only operational for about 20 days and cost about $230 million.
While there were no deaths or known direct attacks on the pier, the Pentagon had said three US troops suffered non-combat injuries in support of the pier in May, with one medically evacuated in critical condition.
The soldier evacuated in critical condition, Quandarius Stanley, died in November, but it is unclear whether his death was related to his injuries.
But the new report by the Pentagon Inspector General said that the actual number of casualties was actually 62.
“Based on the information provided, we were not able to determine which of these 62 injuries occurred during the performance of duties or resulted off off-duty or from pre-existing medical conditions,” the report said.
The pier became a sore point in Congress, where Republicans branded it a political stunt by Biden, who was under pressure from fellow Democrats to do more to aid Palestinians after months of staunchly supporting Israel’s war against Hamas.
The war broke out on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led terrorists invaded Israel, killing some 1,200 people and kidnapping 251.
While it brought in sorely needed aid to a marshalling area on Gaza’s shore, the 1,200-foot-long (370-meter-long) floating pier had to be removed multiple times because of bad weather.
The Inspector General said that the US military did not meet the standards for the equipment.
“Nor did they organize, train, and equip their forces to meet common joint standards,” the report said.
Challenges to aid delivery in Gaza persist.
The United Nations and Palestinian representatives at the International Court of Justice have accused Israel of breaking international law by refusing to let aid into Gaza, after Israel began on March 2 to cut off all supplies to the 2.3 million residents of the Palestinian enclave.
Israel has defended its blockade against aid entering Gaza, saying it is a tool to pressure Hamas to release 59 hostages it is still holding, and accusing Hamas of stealing supplies intended for the civilian population and distributing them to its own forces, an allegation that the terror group denies.
In February, Israel’s Channel 12 news published recordings of Hamas operatives complaining that their leadership hoards humanitarian aid.
The Times of Israel Community.