The floating structure was intended to transport humanitarian aid to the Palestinian enclave, whose land access points are either closed or subject to drastic controls.
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The delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza via the US-built temporary pier has been suspended after the facility was damaged due to weather conditions, the US Department of Defense announced on Tuesday (May 28). The United States, Israel’s primary military supporter, installed this pier off the coast of Gaza in mid-May in the face of severe restrictions imposed by Israel on the land delivery of aid to the Palestinian territory, ravaged by more than seven months of war.
But barely finalized, the floating structure suffered several setbacks. On Saturday, four US military boats used for this pier ran aground due to a “turbulent sea”according to the US Middle East Military Command (Centcom).“The reconstruction and repair of the pier will take at least more than a week”declared Sabrina Singh, deputy spokesperson for the Pentagon, during a press briefing.
Since the announcement of its creation, this floating port has been the subject of criticism from humanitarian NGOs, including Médecins Sans Frontières, who consider it insufficient to meet the needs of the approximately 2.4 million inhabitants of the strip. Gaza affected by the war. For MSF, this is“a masquerade, a diversion strategy, smoke and mirrors”, as stated by Caroline Seguin, deputy emergency manager for the organization. In the Palestinian enclave, displaced populations continue to lack everything, denounce NGOs and United Nations agencies, who have been warning of the risk of famine for several weeks.
