Gaza Aid Pier Collapses in Rough Sea Adding to Palestinians' Woes

The U.S. Defense Department is salvaging three of four vessels from its humanitarian aid pier in Gaza after rough seas caused them to run aground on May 25.

The pier collapse is a major setback to Gazans facing starvation amid an Israeli assault on Rafah that is accused of indiscriminately bombing already displaced civilians.

The vessels, which are part of U.S. Central Command's Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore (JLOTS) capability and used to stabilize the trident pier, broke free from their anchors and beached after losing power, Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters.

"As of today, one of the Army vessels that was beached on the coast of Israel near Ashkelon has been recovered. The second vessel that was also beached near Ashkelon will be recovered in the next 24 hours, and the remaining two vessels that were beached near the Trident pier are expected to be recovered in the next 48 hours," Singh said, noting that the Israeli Navy is assisting in the recovery efforts.

The U.S. is not deploying American troops in Gaza, which is not hindering the recovery of the vessels, Singh added.

High sea states and a North African weather system caused part of the trident pier to detach from its anchored position on the Gaza coastline earlier today, resulting in damage and necessitating repairs. Over the next 48 hours, U.S. forces will tow the pier back to Ashdod, Israel, for repairs.

Singh emphasized the pier's value in delivering aid to Gaza, stating that once repaired, it will be re-anchored to resume humanitarian aid deliveries. To date, over 1,000 metric tons of aid have been delivered via the pier.

In the meantime, U.S. forces are loading humanitarian aid in Cyprus for transport to Gaza, to be distributed once the pier is operational again. The JLOTS pier became operational on May 17 following President Joe Biden's call for a temporary humanitarian aid operation on March 8.

When asked about the pier's durability, Singh expressed optimism, attributing the current issues to unusual weather conditions.

Singh reiterated the importance of the pier, despite its $300 million budget, for delivering aid to those in need in Gaza. Centcom expects the pier repairs to take about one week.

Netanyahu Apologises for Latest Gaza Massacre

Israel faced international condemnation on May 27 over a strike that Gaza officials said killed 45 people, igniting a fire in a tent city for displaced Palestinians. Israel is investigating the “grave and awful” civilian impact of the attack, which targeted two senior Hamas operatives in Rafah but also caused a fire condemned as a “massacre” by Palestinians and Arab countries.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted to a “tragic mistake” in a parliamentary speech, confirming an investigation into the strike.

The Hamas-run health ministry reports over 35,000 Palestinians killed and 80,643 wounded since the Gaza war began on October 7.