CONFLICT
How the Gaza pier unravelled
July 25, 2024 - A string of security, logistical and weather problems has battered President Joe Biden’s plan to deliver humanitarian aid to the war-torn Gaza Strip through a U.S. military-built pier.
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The U.S. announced on July 17 that it had decided to permanently dismantle the pier, which had been plagued by bad weather and mechanical malfunctions.
Vice Admiral Brad Cooper said the floating dock, which cost $320 million, had achieved its goal of delivering aid to Gaza quickly, saying, “The mission is complete.”
The pier mission, which formally ended last week, was the most controversial of the U.S. military’s attempts to help contain the fallout from the Israel-Hamas war that erupted on October 7, 2023.
Broken apart twice by strong winds and heavy seas, the project has faced criticism from Biden’s Republican critics.
Rough Mediterranean seas badly damaged the pier nine days after it became operational on May 16. Bad weather kept the pier inoperative for all but 20 days.
Mike Rogers, the Republican who leads the Pentagon’s oversight committee in the House of Representatives, called the pier “an embarrassment” in an interview with Reuters.
“The pier was an ill-conceived political calculation by the Biden administration,” Rogers said.