Pentagon says more than half Gaza humanitarian aid pier constructed

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The Pentagon announced on Wednesday that the U.S. army had completed more than half of Washington’s planned floating Gaza aid pier.

The official purpose of the pier is to increase humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip amid the war between Israel and the Hamas terrorist organization.

“As of today, we are over 50% complete on setting up the pier,” Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh told journalists.

“The floating pier has been completely constructed and set up. The causeway is in progress,” she added.

Pier-building begins

Construction of the floating JLOTS pier in the Mediterranean is underway.

The pier will support @USAID and humanitarian partners to receive and deliver humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza. @USTRANSCOM and @USEUCOM support the movement of… pic.twitter.com/tC9J12wz4Z
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) April 29, 2024

Approximately 1,000 U.S. soldiers have been involved in constructing the pier since early March when the U.S. government announced its decision to build a temporary naval dock to facilitate the delivery of essential supplies.

“We’re not waiting on the Israelis. This is a moment for American leadership, and we are building a coalition of countries to address this urgent need,” a senior official stated at the time.

Israel has repeatedly stressed that it supports and enables humanitarian aid into Gaza, as long as it does not strengthen Hamas’ capabilities to threaten it. Multiple reports suggest that a significant portion of the humanitarian aid allowed into Gaza by Israel has been hijacked by terrorists.

In April, an ABC News report indicated that the planned U.S. Gaza aid pier would cost about $180 million. disclosed that the actual cost would be nearly double, amounting to at least $320 million.

Pundits in Israel and the U.S. are divided over whether the naval pier will strengthen or weaken Hamas. Critics have warned it could ultimately strengthen the Iranian proxy’s terror capabilities and political power in the Gaza Strip.

However, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant argued in March that the U.S. pier off the coast of Gaza would expedite the downfall of Hamas.

“The process is designed to bring aid directly to the residents and thus continue the collapse of Hamas’s rule in Gaza,” he assessed.

“We will bring the aid through a maritime route that is coordinated with the U.S. on the security and humanitarian side, with the assistance of the Emirates on the civil side, and appropriate inspection in Cyprus, and we will bring goods imported by international organizations with American assistance.”

On May 1, Israel decided to reopen the Erez border crossing into northern Gaza to further facilitate the inflow of humanitarian aid. It was the first time that Israel had opened the border crossing since Hamas terrorists attacked and damaged it, during the Oct. 7 invasion and terror attack in southern Israel.