Gaza aid pier mission involving US troops is off to a chaotic start
By Geoff Ziezulewicz and The Associated Press
May 21, 2024, 06:06 PM
Editor’s note: This story was updated May 21 8:26 p.m. E.T. to include further comment from Pentagon and U.N. officials.
An effort involving the U.S. military to surge much-needed humanitarian aid to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip is off to a chaotic start, with aid trucks being overrun and at least one person feared dead over the weekend, prompting a pause in aid distribution.
U.S. soldiers and sailors built a floating pier off Gaza and stabbed it into a Gaza beach on Friday with the help of Israeli forces.
The plan, announced by President Biden in his State of the Union address and using a capability known as Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore, or JLOTS, has been touted as another way to get food to Gazans caught between the Israeli military and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which attacked Israel on Oct. 7.
https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-navy/2024/05/21/gaza-aid-pier-mission-involving-us-troops-is-off-to-a-chaotic-start/