The United States resumed delivering aid into Gaza through its temporary pier on Thursday, as confirmed by US Central Command. The pier had been dismantled temporarily on June 14 for the second time since its initial anchoring on May 17, in anticipation of heavy seas to prevent damages.
The aid delivered on Thursday amounted to 1.4 million pounds, marking the largest single-day delivery of aid so far, according to CENTCOM. However, the aid being transported across the pier is not yet being distributed within Gaza. The UN World Food Programme, the distribution partner, has paused distribution activities to conduct a comprehensive security review.
UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq stated that a thorough security assessment is underway to ensure the safety of UN staff and partners. The World Food Programme is prepared to resume operations once the security assessment allows, based on humanitarian principles. The challenging security situation in Gaza has hindered the provision of aid due to a lack of public order.
World Food Programme chief Cindy McCain highlighted that there has been no improvement in the security conditions in Gaza since Israel announced a temporary pause. She expressed difficulties in accessing certain areas due to security concerns, including incidents of looting, shootings, and rocket attacks.
Over 9.1 million pounds of humanitarian aid have been delivered from the pier to a marshaling area for collection by humanitarian organizations for further distribution. The pier, known as the Joint Logistics Over the Shore (JLOTS), was constructed by US officials to establish a maritime corridor for aid delivery into Gaza, supplementing existing methods.
The JLOTS system comprises a floating pier for offloading shipments and a causeway for transferring them to the distribution point in Gaza. The construction of the pier aimed to address the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza amid escalating conflict and food insecurity.
The US military is expected to operate the pier for at least three months, with plans to transition it into a permanent commercial facility for use by other countries and non-governmental organizations in the future.
