US military declares end to Gaza pier aid mission

A temporary pier enabled the maritime delivery of international humanitarian aid to the United Nations in Gaza for distribution to Palestinian people

Humanitarian aid for Gaza is expected to be brought in through an Israeli port instead

(Image credit: U.S. Central Command via Getty Images)

published 18 July 2024

What happened

Pentagon officials on Wednesday announced the completion of the "maritime surge mission" that saw a massive floating pier constructed off the Gaza coastline to bring sea-borne aid to the beleaguered Palestinian territory.

The pier, estimated to cost approximately $230 million, "has done exactly what we intended it to do," Vice Adm. Brad Cooper said to reporters, adding that the mission was "complete" so "there's no more need" to use it. The pier had only been fully operational for some 20 days since being installed in May, and had been "bedeviled by bad weather and mechanical malfunctions," CBS News said. The whole mission has been "extraordinary, but troubled," said Reuters. Although the pier enabled the delivery of nearly 20 million pounds of much-needed supplies, the aid groups "expected to distribute the food once it reached land were reluctant to do so, citing persistent fears for their workers' safety," The Washington Post said.

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Rafi Schwartz has worked as a politics writer at The Week since 2022, where he covers elections, Congress and the White House. He was previously a contributing writer with Mic focusing largely on politics, a senior writer with Splinter News, a staff writer for Fusion's news lab, and the managing editor of Heeb Magazine, a Jewish life and culture publication. Rafi's work has appeared in Rolling Stone, GOOD and The Forward, among others.