Aid deliveries suspended after rough seas damage US-built temporary pier in Gaza, 3 US officials say

WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S. built temporary pier that had been used to deliver additional humanitarian aid into Gaza was damaged by rough seas and has temporarily suspended operations, three U.S. officials told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

The Joint Logistics Over The Shore, or JLOTS, pier only began operations last week and had provided an additional way to get critically needed food to Gaza.

The setback is the latest for the pier, which has already had three U.S. service member injuries and had four if its vessels beached due to heavy sea states.

The pier was fully functional as late as Saturday when heavy sea states unmoored four of the Army boats that were being used to ferry pallets of aid from commercial vessels to the pier, which was anchored into the beach and provided a long causeway to then drive that aid onto the shore.

Two of the vessels were beached on Gaza and two others on the coast of Israel near Ashkelon.

A U.S. Army landing craft is seen beached in Ashdod on Sunday, May 26, 2024, after being swept by wind and current from the temporary humanitarian pier in the Gaza Strip. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov)

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