US makes first Gaza aid delivery from floating pier

Cheaper and easier land crossings could bring in all the aid that's needed — if Israel allowed it

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

published 17 May 2024

What happened

Trucks carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza from a newly built floating pier anchored in the Mediterranean began arriving on the Gaza shore Friday morning, the Pentagon said, a day after the U.S. finished constructing the quay.

The delivery scheme — aid shipped from Cyprus is unloaded on a floating platform, then loaded onto Army trucks and transported by boat to the pier and causeway to shore, where it's transferred to the United Nations and aid organizations for delivery — is "fraught with logistical, weather and security challenges," The Associated Press said.

The pier-and-boat system is a "solution for a problem that doesn't exist," because cheaper and easier land crossings could bring in all the aid that's needed if Israel allowed it, said Oxfam's Scott Paul. Israel has closed the main land crossing in Rafah, and aid groups say they lack fuel, trucks and safety guarantees to deliver food throughout Gaza.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.