A floating pier built by the United States military on the Gaza shore became operational on Friday, with trucks starting to deliver humanitarian supplies.
“Today we began delivery of aid from the temporary pier on to the beach of Gaza for further distribution to the people by our partners. This unique logistics capability facilitates the delivery of lifesaving humanitarian aid enabling a shared service for the international community to use to serve the people of Gaza,” U.S. Central Command announced in an X social media post.
The $320 million pier was pre-assembled at the Israeli port of Ashdod and moved to its place anchored to a beach in the coastal enclave on Thursday. No American troops went ashore during the installation of the pier, according to CENTCOM. Some 1,000 U.S. soldiers and sailors helped build the floating pier.
The Israel Defense Ministry’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) unit announced on Saturday that “hundreds of pallets of humanitarian aid” and more than 160,000 liters of fuel entered via the pier.
V. Adm. Brad Cooper, deputy commander of CENTCOM, said that the goal is for 500 tons of humanitarian aid to pass into Gaza through the pier daily, about 90 trucks, with the goal to get up to 150 trucks a day.
USAID and the U.S. Department of Defense are leading the effort, alongside Cyprus, the United Nations and international donors, including the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Romania and the European Union, CENTCOM said. The aid is transported via sea from Cyprus where it is screened, and the U.N. receives the aid in Gaza and coordinate its distribution
Israel is also helping to facilitate the entry of aid via the pier.
“Following extensive preparations by the IDF, COGAT and the Ministry of Defense, U.S. CENTCOM completed the construction of a floating pier to enable the transfer of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. Since the pier began operating in the last two days, hundreds of pallets of humanitarian aid were transferred for distribution in the Gaza Strip,” the IDF said on Saturday.
“The IDF will continue its efforts to allow humanitarian aid to enter the Gaza Strip by land, air and sea in accordance with international law.”
The IDF has been fighting against Hamas in Gaza since the terrorist group launched a war against the Jewish state when it invaded the northwestern Negev on Oct. 7, killing, wounding and capturing thousands of civilians and soldiers.