U.S. military says Gaza pier is anchored, aid deliveries set to begin

The U.S. military said Thursday that its floating pier had been anchored to the Gaza shoreline and promised that humanitarian deliveries to the war-ravaged territory would begin “within days,” after delays and amid objections from critics who fear that the operation, directed by President Biden, will leave those involved vulnerable to attack.

In a morning call with reporters, officials from the Pentagon and the U.S. Agency for International Development warned that there are still challenges to effectively increasing the amount of aid for Palestinian civilians on the brink of famine, including weather and the need to ensure workers’ safety.

U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, said the pier was anchored about 7:40 a.m. local time. Ships in the Mediterranean Sea are on standby waiting to unload an initial tranche of 500 tons of aid, with thousands of tons more in the pipeline, said Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, Centcom’s deputy commander.

U.S. officials have said they anticipate the operation beginning with about 90 trucks per day coming over the pier via an attached floating causeway, before ramping up to 150 trucks daily as they smooth out the process. The Pentagon has said that, eventually, up to 2 million meals per day could be moved into Gaza via this “maritime corridor.”

About 1,000 U.S. soldiers and sailors are committed to the mission, including 14 U.S. and partner nation ships. No American personnel will set foot in Gaza, officials have stressed. The Israeli military has dedicated a brigade of soldiers and other assets for the security effort.

Poor weather and rough seas have delayed its start, initially anticipated in early May. The pier was assembled and moved to the Israeli port of Ashdod, north of Gaza, to ride out the adverse conditions. Over coming days, Cooper said, personnel will race to deliver as much aid as possible while the forecast is favorable.

Security remains a chief concern, too – for civilians, aid workers and troops alike, officials said. Militants have attacked Israeli personnel working on the land component of the pier, and Israeli strikes have killed numerous aid workers in Gaza, including seven people with World Central Kitchen in April who were slain despite coordinating their movements with the Israeli military.

Israeli leaders have said such incidents were mistakes and vowed to improve the military’s targeting processes. But Sonali Korde, a top official in USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, said that deconfliction measures still fall short and that those conversations with the Israelis were ongoing.

“They need to get to a place where humanitarian aid workers feel safe and secure and able to operate safely,” she said. “I don’t think we’re there yet.”

The dearth of food and other supplies being allowed into Gaza has been a major source of friction between the Biden administration and the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Creation of the maritime corridor, officials say, is intended to supplement aid deliveries being made via airdrops and through various land routes into the enclave – not to be a replacement. With more than half of the population facing “catastrophic” food insecurity, Korde said, “no effort can be spared.”

A crucial border crossing at Rafah, where more than a million Palestinians had been sheltering in camps along the enclave’s southern border with Egypt, was closed by Israeli forces amid fighting in the area. More land crossings must open to increase the flow of aid to those who need it, Korde said, though she stopped short of saying Israeli forces were to blame for constraining deliveries. Earlier in the war, Israel directed civilians to flee northern Gaza toward Rafah, but the southern city has become another battlefield they must escape.

Aid arriving via the pier first will be collected, inspected and loaded onto trucks in Cyprus, and then shipped to a floating platform miles off Gaza’s coast, officials said. From there, U.S. troops piloting Army vessels will shuttle the trucks to the pier and causeway attached to Gaza’s shore. Israeli forces will provide security around the site, with personnel from a third country – still undisclosed by U.S. officials – driving the trucks ashore.

Once on land, the aid will be moved to a location near Wadi Gaza, south of the last security checkpoint on a “control corridor” that Israeli forces have established to split Gaza in two, officials have said. Initially, deliveries are expected to go north, where the risk of famine is considered greatest, but eventually they could go in either direction. Distribution will be handled by the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian refugees, or UNRWA, Pentagon officials said.

There are other needs beyond food, Korde said, including nutritional treatment, clean water and sustained support for workers. Fuel, which has been challenging to acquire in Gaza, is also a concern, she said, noting though that U.S. officials anticipate there will be enough to sustain the operation.

The project, announced by Biden during his State of the Union address in March, has drawn criticism from lawmakers and some retired military officers, who contend his administration should instead do more to pressure Israel to boost the amount of aid that is allowed into Gaza through border crossings. Some critics also have raised concerns that the pier could be vulnerable to attack by rockets, speedboats packed with explosives, or even divers swimming in with mines.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has said he didn’t see any indication that there is an “active intent” by militants to attack U.S. troops, but he acknowledged that “this is a combat zone and a number of things can happen.” He credited Gen. Michael “Erik” Kurilla, who will oversee the operation as head of Centcom, for scrutinizing the security measures that have been put in place.

In late April, the shoreside staging ground for the pier was hit by mortar fire, Pentagon officials said. Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder, a Pentagon spokesman, said then that the attack caused “minimal damage” to a “marshaling area” and that U.S. troops building the pier were “nowhere near” the location that was attacked.

Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, voiced confidence then that such risks can be mitigated through collaboration with the Israeli military and other partners.

“I feel strongly that it will be protected,” he added. “That doesn’t mean it won’t potentially have some threat against it, but it’s something we are focused on.”

It’s unclear how long the operation will last, but the Pentagon has said it is intended to be temporary. The estimated cost to the U.S. government is about $320 million, officials have said.