US-built pier for humanitarian aid anchored in Gaza

The U.S. military said it has anchored a temporary floating pier to a beach in Gaza on Thursday, May 16, which will allow more humanitarian aid to enter the war-torn region. The Pentagon reported that as part of this initiative, a ship has been anchored in the Mediterranean Sea to start offloading supplies, noting that no military personnel are expected to enter Gaza.

The Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore system (JLOTS) includes a floating pier for offloading shipments and a causeway for transferring them to a distribution center in Gaza.

Today at approximately 7:40 a.m. (Gaza time) United States Central Command personnel supporting the humanitarian mission to deliver additional humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians in need anchored a temporary pier to the beach in Gaza. As part of this effort, no U.S. troops… pic.twitter.com/048seMnkLJ

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) May 16, 2024

Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, the deputy commander for U.S. Central Command, has indicated that hundreds of tons of aid are ready for delivery, with thousands more being prepared.

“[The] protection of U.S. forces participating is a top priority,” Cooper said. “And as such, in the last several weeks, the United States and Israel have developed an integrated security plan to protect all the personnel. We are confident in the ability of this security arrangement to protect those involved. Trucks carrying humanitarian assistance are expected to begin moving ashore in the coming days.”

Israeli military spokesperson Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani has confirmed the completion of the pier’s installation and the preparation of the surrounding area by Israeli engineering units. The groundwork has been laid and roads have been surfaced to accommodate truck traffic.

“We have been working for months on full cooperation with [the U.S. military] on this project, facilitating it, supporting it in any way possible. It is a top priority in our operations,” Shoshani said.

Additionally, the United Kingdom announced Wednesday, May 15, its initial shipment of 8,400 temporary shelters, aiming for quick distribution to the people of Gaza.

“We are leading international efforts with the U.S. and Cyprus to establish a maritime aid corridor,” Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said. “[Wednesday’s] first shipment of British aid from Cyprus to the temporary pier off Gaza is an important moment in increasing this flow.”

The pier is designed to handle the transfer of 90 truckloads of aid per day, with plans to increase this number to 150 truckloads once it is fully operational.