US makes first Gaza aid delivery from floating pier
Israeli restrictions on border crossings have prevented food and supplies from reaching Gaza citizens
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.
Who said what
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.
What next?
After initial test runs, the pier operation should bring in 150 aid trucks a day; U.N. officials say 500-600 are needed at minimum.
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