WASHINGTON — The U.S. military removed the pier built to bring aid to Gaza for weather-related protection, and officials said on Friday that the U.S. is contemplating not re-installing it unless the aid is distributed to the population again.
Despite the military’s efforts to deliver essential food through the pier, most of it remains in the adjacent storage yard, which is almost full.
Aid agencies express challenges in moving the food to areas in Gaza where it’s urgently needed due to attacks on humanitarian convoys.
The U.N., a crucial aid distributor to starving Palestinians, has not been distributing food and emergency supplies received through the pier since June 9.
This pause followed an incident where the Israeli military used the neighboring area to fly out hostages after a rescue operation that resulted in the deaths of over 270 Palestinians, leading to a U.N. security review regarding aid workers’ safety and neutrality concerns.
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Meanwhile, displaced Palestinian families from Gaza’s southern areas fled due to escalating Israeli gunfire in northern Rafah, seeking shelter elsewhere amidst chaotic conditions as the fighting intensified.
Some of those who evacuated overnight were able to return on Friday, loading their belongings onto vehicles or wagons pulled by donkeys.
The Israeli military confirmed ongoing operations in Rafah without immediate comments on specific strikes.
The residents fleeing Rafah are among the few remaining in a city once crowded with displaced Palestinians, as Israel’s ground invasion has forced most shelter-seekers to evacuate.
International condemnation is on the rise amid the nearly nine-month Israel-Hamas conflict, as Palestinians endure severe hunger and widespread suffering.
Since the Hamas militants’ attack on Oct. 7, Israeli ground actions and bombings have claimed over 37,600 lives in Gaza, as reported by the territory’s Health Ministry regardless of combatant or civilian status.
