(IntegrityPress.org) – The Biden administration’s $230 million project to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza via a floating platform has come to an early end after suffering numerous setbacks. The project, announced by President Biden in March, was intended to “enable a massive increase” in the volume of vital supplies delivered to the people of Gaza amid the Israel-Hamas war.
The pier, which measures 1,200 feet in length, began to receive aid via the Mediterranean island of Cyprus on May 17. Goods were first x-rayed in Cyprus to check for contraband such as weaponry that could be used by Hamas terrorists before being sent to the Gaza pier for distribution.
Since May 17, approximately 8,500 tons of aid, or the equivalent to 425 trucks filled with aid, has been received by the floating pier. Aid workers say that at least 600 trucks of aid are needed daily in order to meet Gaza’s needs. Many aid workers have criticized the project as being fundamentally flawed and have pointed to the delivery of aid via land routes as being much more efficient.
The project involved the use of 1,000 U.S. military personnel, three of whom have been injured during the pier’s operation. Conditions have been difficult, with the surrounding sea stormy and treacherous at times. These harsh conditions are reportedly to blame for the injuries sustained by U.S. personnel as well as much of the damage sustained by the pier itself. As well as inclement weather, the pier has been beset by looters, preventing aid workers from properly distributing aid to all those in need.
The pier was originally dismantled on June 28 due to poor weather rendering its operation infeasible. U.S. officials had planned to reinstate the pier during the second week of July, but as of July 11, the Pentagon’s stance changed. Spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told the press that U.S. personnel had not been able to reinstate the pier and added that there was no longer a set date for its re-anchoring.
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