Gaza aid pier to close with US sending supplies to Ashdod port

Official says Cyprus-Ashdod maritime corridor offers 'a more sustainable path' over pier fraught with problems

A soldier on the temporary pier near the Gaza Strip. Reuters

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The US announced on Wednesday that it will end aid delivery to Gaza through its temporary pier and instead send relief for the Palestinian enclave to Ashdod port in Israel.

The pier was plagued by many issues including severe weather damage, ensuring security and increasing aid to Gazans, who are wrestling with worsening humanitarian aid crises.

But the US insists the temporary pier was "successful" despite the challenges.

“The past few weeks, we've begun utilising this new hybrid pathway from the sea and land to deliver aid from Cyprus to the port of Ashdod, Israel and into north Gaza via the UN and WFP [World Food Programme], and it's been successful,” Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, deputy commander of US Central Command, told reporters.

US officials said that humanitarian aid for Palestinians would still be sent in Cyprus for delivery to the Port of Ashdod in Israel, the closest major port to Gaza.

“While a pier represents a temporary measure to surge aid from the sea, the Cyprus-Ashdod maritime corridor offers a more sustainable path,” Vice Admiral Cooper said.

“Having now delivered the largest volume of humanitarian assistance ever into the Middle East, we're now mission-complete and transitioning to a new phase.”

Last week, the Pentagon said the temporary pier installed by the US to deliver aid to Palestinians in Gaza would soon end operations after weeks of rough seas and a recent failed reinstallation.

Three service members suffered minor injuries, including one who was flown to the US for medical care.

These complications ultimately limited the food and supplies that parties could deliver through the pier.

Critics, including Gazans, point to the $230 million investment in a pier that was not reliable for more than 20 days, and failed to reach its mission in delivering aid for many experiencing famine-like conditions.

Vice Admiral Cooper said that in the coming weeks, the US expected “millions of pounds of aid” will enter into Gaza through the new route.

“The establishment of this new route builds on logistics and co-ordination best practices from the JLots [joint logistics over the shore] pier," he said.

"And while the US military pier is no longer required, the US will maintain co-ordination elements in place in the near term to ensure humanitarian assistance continues to flow into Gaza through this new maritime pathway."

He said that Israel has been “fully supportive” of this effort.

The pier was installed to deliver much-needed aid to Gaza, with Israeli forces having intermittently closed land crossings.

Hundreds of thousands of civilians in Gaza are suffering famine-like conditions after Israel launched military operations against Hamas militants over a Hamas-led attack on Israeli soil on October 7.

The pier enabled the delivery of about 8,800 tonnes of aid but distribution to those who needed it most was not assured after it reached the shore, with looting common.

Thousands of tonnes of aid has built up in warehouses amid concerns for the safety of distributing workers because of heavy fighting and Israeli bombardments.

Adding to the complication of growing aid piling up onshore near the pier, the UN briefly suspended its humanitarian aid distribution in Gaza before resuming its operations.

President Joe Biden's administration has repeatedly insisted that aid delivery through border crossings are the best option, and officials have directly expressed that to Israeli leaders.