The U.S. military is preparing to temporarily remove its humanitarian pier off the coast of Gaza due to expected sea conditions, a U.S. official said on Friday.
This move represents another setback for the aid effort, which has been hindered by poor weather since its installation in May.
The floating U.S. military pier, designed to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, had just resumed operations after being suspended over the weekend.
The official, speaking anonymously, indicated that the pier would likely be relocated to the Israeli port of Ashdod until the sea conditions improve.
Aid began arriving via the U.S.-constructed pier on May 17. By May 28, the U.N. reported transporting 137 trucks of aid, approximately 900 metric tons, to warehouses.
However, the U.S. then announced a suspension of operations to carry out necessary repairs.
On Friday, the United Nations stated that the transportation of aid from the pier to U.N. World Food Programme warehouses had not yet resumed.
“Our security colleagues are still working to ensure that secure conditions for humanitarian work can be re-established,” said deputy U.N. spokesperson Farhan Haq.
The initiative to establish the pier for aid deliveries was announced by U.S. President Joe Biden in March, responding to the looming famine in Gaza, a territory of 2.3 million people governed by Hamas amid ongoing conflict with Israel.
The pier project is estimated to cost hundreds of millions of dollars for the initial 90 days and involves around 1,000 U.S. service members.