After last-ditch effort, the Gaza pier aid mission is coming to an end
By Geoff Ziezulewicz and Lolita C. Baldor, The Associated Press
Jul 11, 2024, 12:52 PM
The Pentagon announced that an Army-Navy aid pier in Gaza will be permanently removed after less than two months of operation. (Leo Correa/AP)
After one final attempt to re-anchor the pier on Wednesday, the mission to deliver aid to Gaza through a temporary pier manned by U.S. Army and Navy personnel is coming to an end, the Pentagon announced Thursday.
The news comes less than two months after the mission began. The operation is estimated to have cost $270 million and left three U.S. service members injured in the process.
The announcement came after troops attempted to re-anchor the pier and failed “due to technical and weather-related issues,” Pentagon spokesman Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said in a statement.
The pier delivered more than 8,100 metric tons, or nearly 20 million pounds, of food to Gazans caught in the crossfire of the Israel-Hamas war, but delivery was often hampered by security issues in Gaza.
https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-navy/2024/07/11/after-last-ditch-effort-the-gaza-pier-aid-mission-is-coming-to-an-end/