US Army vessels detach from Gaza pier, wash up on Israel's shores after 'heavy sea' conditions
The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed that four U.S. Army vessels disconnected from a floating pier on the Gaza coast Saturday morning.
The U.S. vessels were “supporting the maritime humanitarian aid mission in Gaza,” according to the CENTCOM statement.
Two of the vessels “are beached on the coast of Israel near Ashkelon,” while the other two are currently “anchored on the beach near the pier.”
CENTCOM noted that the vessels became unmoored from the pier due to “heavy sea states.”
The statement confirmed that Israel Defense Forces was helping to recover the ships that washed up in Gaza, and added that “no U.S. personnel will enter Gaza.”
The pier continues to be fully operational, and no injuries occurred as a result of the incident, the statement added.
The floating humanitarian aid pier was established by the U.S. military earlier this month to facilitate the delivery of aid to Gazan civilians affected by the war in Gaza. It was completed on May 16, but only became operational on May 18, due to weather delays.
Humanitarian aid earmarked for Gaza is inspected by Israeli authorities in Cyprus, the island nation 265 miles off of the coast of Gaza, before arriving at the pier.
The first aid delivered via the pier was distributed to civilians in Gaza on Thursday.
The Times of Israel reported that “American officials hope the pier at maximum capacity can bring the equivalent of 150 truckloads of aid to Gaza each day.”
The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel.
