The delivery of humanitarian aid from Larnaca to Gaza has been suspended for at least a week due to damage caused by severe weather to a temporary pier operated by the US Army in Gaza.
Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said on Tuesday the $320 million became detached from its base and will take over a week to get fixed.
She added that within the next 48 hours, the entire pier will be sent for repair and reassembly in the Israeli port of Ashdod.
During this period, alternatives are being explored to deliver some of the aid currently in Cyprus to Gaza through other means.
Critics of President Biden in the United States accuse him of wasting American taxpayers’ money on the pier’s construction, suggesting that he should have focused on delivering aid to Gaza via land routes.
Since the pier began operations, the United Nations has transported 137 trucks of aid from the pier – the equivalent of 900 metric tons – said a U.N. World Food Programme spokesperson.
The pier was announced by U.S. President Joe Biden in March and involved the military assembling the floating structure off the coast. Estimated to cost $320 million for the first 90 days and involve about 1,000 U.S. service members, it went into operation two weeks ago.
