The pier, anchored on a Gaza beach on Thursday, is designed to deliver aid from various countries to the besieged region. With all other border crossings closed and a severe humanitarian crisis unfolding, this pier is a crucial lifeline.
The US began constructing the $320 million pier in late April, stressing that it is a temporary, humanitarian measure. The aid it facilitates comes from multiple countries and humanitarian organizations. Importantly, no US troops have set foot in Gaza, according to CENTCOM.
The process involves aid arriving in Cyprus, then being shipped to a floating platform near the Gaza coast. From there, it is transferred to the floating pier and loaded onto trucks for distribution on land.
Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of the US Naval Forces Central Command, stated that the goal is to deliver around 500 tons of aid to Gaza each day, which equates to about 90 trucks. The aim is to eventually increase this to 150 trucks daily.
This new maritime route is critical as the Rafah border crossing into Gaza has been closed for over a week, blocking aid deliveries. Rafah, the only crossing between Gaza and Egypt, is vital since all other borders are controlled by Israel.
The US State Department highlighted the urgency, noting that only 50 humanitarian aid trucks made it into Gaza on Sunday, a significant drop from the hundreds that used to pass through daily. This number is far from sufficient to meet the needs of the people in Gaza.
