US military pier operations suspended after piece breaks off

The pier was announced by US President Joe Biden in March and involved the military assembling the floating structure off the coast.

US Navy personnel construct a JLOTS, which stands for 'Joint Logistics Over-the Shore' temporary pier which will provide a ship-to-shore distribution system to help deliver humanitarian aid into Gaza. (REUTERS)

A part of the US military’s pier off Gaza has broken off, rendering it temporarily inoperable, two US officials said, in the latest blow to efforts to deliver humanitarian aid to Palestinians.

The US officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said bad weather was believed to be the reason that the part had broken off. They did not say how big the part was or speculate on how long it would take for the pier to resume operations.

The pier was announced by US President Joe Biden in March and involved the military assembling the floating structure off the coast. Estimated to cost $320 million for the first 90 days and involve about 1,000 US service members, it went into operation two weeks ago.

Since the pier began operations, the United Nations has transported 137 trucks of aid from the pier – the equivalent of 900 metric tonnes – said a UN World Food Programme (WFP) spokesperson.

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