$320 million Gaza pier to be operational in early May
The US military has released the first photos of $320 million offshore floating pier being built to streamline humanitarian aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip.
The US Navy logistics vessel Roy P. Benavidez off the coast of Gaza on April 27, 2024. Photo by Majdi Fathi/TPS
“Construction of the floating JLOTS pier in the Mediterranean is underway,” US Central Command (Centcom) said on X, formerly known as Twitter. JLOTS, or “Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore” is military parlance for logistical naval operations in areas where ports are unavailable or inadequate. The pier is part of a US-led initiative to increase humanitarian aid to Gaza by sea from Cyprus.
The US hopes the pier will be operational in early May. The Israeli military is providing security and logistical support.
Meanwhile, World Central Kitchen resumed operations in Gaza on Monday. The US-based organization suspended its activities after seven workers were killed in an airstrike on a convoy in Deir al-Balah on April 1. The Israel Defence Forces apologized saying the strike was the result of a misidentification.
WCK’s profile has risen as Israeli authorities have sidelined the UN Relief and Works Agency for distributing humanitarian supplies. The agency has been under fire amid revelations that many of its staff are members of Hamas, including several who participated in the October 7 attacks.
Hamas slashed food prices in early April and Gaza residents told The Press Service of Israel that the problem wasn’t a lack of food but a shortage of money for families to purchase it.
The passage of aid deliveries is controversial in Israel. Food, water and fuel deliveries are frequently stolen by Hamas once they arrive inside the Strip. “Don’t feed Hamas” is a common chant at Israeli demonstrations against humanitarian aid deliveries, and the families of hostages have called on the government to leverage the aid for information, access and freedom of their captive loved ones.
At least 1,200 people were killed and 240 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Of the remaining 134 hostages, around 30 are believed dead.
Gaza used to have an aerodrome a few decades ago until the IDF destroyed it.