The Pentagon announced this week that the U.S. is shutting down the effort to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza using its troubled floating pier after several attempts to re-anchor the pier were thwarted by weather.
Soldiers from the 7th Transportation Brigade are expected to remain in the region to deliver the last 5 million pounds of aid to the Port of Ashdod in Israel. The remaining humanitarian cargo has already been loaded onto U.S. ships or is waiting to be loaded in Cyprus, says Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh.
“We want to make sure that aid is going to continue to flow into Gaza,” she said. “But this new route that aid flows through Ashdod will ultimately be managed by USAID and other humanitarian organizations.”
A group of military advisors helped coordinate the flow of humanitarian aid from outside of Gaza. Most of those troops will also wrap up their mission as soon as the last aid is delivered, Singh said.
Roughly 500 soldiers left Joint Base Langley-Eustis in March to make the month-long trip to Gaza. Rough weather forced the military to close the mobile pier and move it to the Port of Ashdod at least four times since it opened May 17.
“The temporary pier successfully delivered nearly 20 million pounds of aid, which is the highest volume of humanitarian assistance the U.S. military has ever delivered into the Middle East,” Singh said.
Wednesday the Pentagon announced that the U.S. would concentrate its effort on providing aid through land crossings to people starving in Gaza.