US army: First aid enters Gaza through new US pier
4 Min Read
The US Army announces that the first trucks loaded with aid, which were transported to the floating port off Gaza, have begun distributing their cargo in the besieged enclave.
-
This satellite image from Planet Labs PBC shows a pier installed by the U.S. military in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, May 16, 2024. (Planet Labs PBC via AP)
Trucks transporting vital aid for the Gaza Strip made their way through a newly constructed pier and into the blockaded territory on Friday, according to the US Army. This comes as Israeli constraints on border crossings and continuous airstrikes have impeded the delivery of food and other essential supplies into Gaza for 225 days now.
According to US National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby, the initial shipment included "over 300 pallets" of aid, which were reportedly transferred to the UN for distribution after arrival at the White House.
Kirby mentioned that the US has received indications that “some of that aid was already moving into Gaza.”
However, the US, UN, and humanitarian organizations caution that the floating pier initiative cannot replace land deliveries, which are essential for transporting all the necessary food, water, and fuel to Gaza. Prior to the ongoing Israeli genocide, Gaza received over 500 truckloads of goods on an average day.
Aid organizations report dwindling food supplies in southern Gaza, while the UN World Food Program indicates that famine has already struck in the northern part of the territory.
Troops completed the installation of the floating pier on Thursday, and the US military's Central Command confirmed that the initial aid delivery entered Gaza at 9 a.m. on Friday. It claimed that no American troops disembarked during the operation.
US pier diverts attention from Gaza's surging humanitarian crisis
The UN humanitarian aid coordinating agency welcomed the beginning of the operation but stressed that it should not be seen as a substitute for land deliveries.
“I think everyone in the operation has said it: Any and all aid into Gaza is welcome by any route,” Jens Laerke, spokesperson of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, told journalists in Geneva on Friday. Getting aid to people in Gaza “cannot and should not depend on a floating dock far from where needs are most acute.”
Anastasia Moran, an associate director of the International Rescue Committee, stressed that the pier is in fact diverting attention from the surging humanitarian crisis.
Over the past couple of months, “the maritime route has been taking time and energy and resources at a time when aid has not been scaled up,” she said. “And now that the maritime route is up and running, the land crossings have been effectively shut down.”
Between May 6 and May 15, amid "Israel's" offensive in Rafah, Gaza received 154 trucks of food and 156 trucks of flour via three land crossings, according to UN deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq on Friday. Haq also highlighted a severe fuel shortage this week.
"Israel" recently occupied the Rafah border crossing, situated on the Egyptian border, sparking international concerns about the safety of civilians. Additionally, this action has disrupted the primary entry point for aid into the Gaza Strip.
Last month, the safety of aid workers came into sharp focus after an Israeli airstrike killed seven relief workers from World Central Kitchen. Their mission had been coordinated with Israeli authorities, and the group had also delivered aid by sea.
Hamas says US pier no substitute for Rafah crossing for entry of aid
Hamas emphasized Friday that any way to bring in aid, including the American pier, is no substitute for opening all land crossings under Palestinian supervision.
In a statement, the movement emphasized its rejection of any military presence of any force in the Palestinian territories, stressing the right of the Palestinian people to receive all the aid they need in light of the catastrophe created by the occupation.
The government media office in Gaza, meanwhile, stressed that the US administration was trying to whitewash its brutality by establishing a pier off the coast of Gaza City.
The media office issued a statement questioning the intentions of the US administration, which is working to manage the genocidal war and form a protective barrier for "Israel."
The statement underlined that the pier does not cover the Palestinian people's need for food, and that what it will provide "will not end the famine."
