WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Part of the U.S. military’s pier near Gaza has been demolished, rendering it temporarily unusable, two U.S. officials said, in the latest blow to efforts to deliver humanitarian aid to the Palestinians.
The US officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said bad weather was the reason the part was demolished. They did not say how large the part was or speculate on how long it would take for the pier to become operational again.
The pier was announced by US President Joe Biden in March and involved the military erecting the floating structure off the coast. The project, which is estimated to cost $320 million for the first 90 days and involve approximately 1,000 U.S. military personnel, went into service two weeks ago.
Since the pier opened, the United Nations has transported 137 trucks of aid from the pier – the equivalent of 900 tonnes – said a spokesperson for the UN World Food Program (WFP).
(Reporting by Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart; Editing by David Holmes)
