WASHINGTON — The US completed construction of a humanitarian pier on Gaza’s coast Thursday, and hundreds of pounds of aid will begin to flow into the war-torn area soon, according to the Pentagon.
US Central Command released photos of the new construction — dubbed “The Trident” — anchored Thursday morning to the beach in Gaza with the help of Israel Defense Forces engineers.
“The purpose of this temporary pier is to deliver critical humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people,” deputy Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh told reporters on Thursday.
“Trucks (coming off the pier) will be able to reach the populations that need the most aid, which includes northern Gaza.”
President Biden announced the construction of the pier in March as a way to ensure more humanitarian aid can reach the Palestinian people as Israel continues its war on Hamas. The project took months to complete as construction crews fought rough waters to get it in service.
“For weeks, we have been working side by side with the USAID team, the Cypriots, the Israelis and the United Nations to increase the flow of humanitarian assistance into Gaza,” Singh said.
“Today we have hundreds of tons of aid ready for delivery and thousands of tons of aid in the pipeline.”
That aid — which includes “food, water and medicine” — will begin making its way into Gaza “in the coming days,” Singh said.
“We’re not looking for aid to just sit in that marshaling area so it’ll be pretty immediate,” she said.
“Once our ships are able to get to the pier and transport that aid onto the pier, you’ll see it happen pretty quickly.”
Singh said that the Defense Department would not put US troops on Gaza soil during the operations.
“The US military is merely providing the logistical support to enable humanitarian aid to flow into Gaza from the sea,” she said.
“The pier is temporary and not meant to replace land routes into Gaza.”
Asked whether the US is concerned Hamas will target the pier, Singh said that “an attack on those dedicated to this mission would jeopardize the life-saving aid needed for the Palestinian people.”