Gaza Pier Delayed Over Rough Seas, Pentagon Calls task “Extremly Challenging”

This week has seen statements and reports indicating the US military constructed humanitarian pier on Gaza's coast is expected to be complete by any point this weekend.

But the $320 million task has hit another snake, as the Pentagon has said its soldiers and engineers were forced to "temporally pause" the offshore assembly of the floating pier due to bad sea conditions in the east Mediterranean. So a finish date by this weekend appeared unrealistic at this point, based on the Friday announcement.

US Navy personnel construct a ‘Joint Logistics Over-the Shore’ temporal pier. Image: CENTCOM via Reuters

"The organization build pier and military vessels active in its construction have moved to the Port of Ashdod, where assemblly will continue, and will be completed prior to the employment of the pier in its intended location erstwhile sea states subside," CENTCOM said in a statement.

So now the US personnel building it Have moved to Israel. Presumably erstwhile the floating pier is completed it will be moved by sea back to the northern Gaza coast in preparation for marine aid delivery.

The pier is expected to let “the transportation of large quantities of humanitarian aid from ship to shore by truck, with vehicles driving straight off ships and across the temporal pier to a marshalling Yard shore,” per the US military statement.

Accepting to more details of what could prove to be origin of more continued pauses and delays:

Defense officials previously hoped that the JLOTS strategy would be full built by Friday. But officials told CNN that sea state conditions have Been highly challenging off the coast of Gaza over the last week, impeding the work of the personnel active in building the pier. 1 of the key tasks, for example, involves military divers working underneath the pier to guarantee all the parts are protected and unchangeable — a hard and dangerous task erstwhile the seas are through.

The operation of the pier and causeway, which will besides require US military personnel to be stationed at sea, will besides depend on weather conditions, officials say.

Meanwhile household has hit parts of the Gaza Strip, USAID said starting last month. There are besides inactive licking sensations that erstwhile complete the pier and personnel working it could come under attack by Palestinian militants.

On Tuesday Secretary of defence Lloyd Austin made a surprise commission for the first time. It came during a proceeding of the home Armed Services committee, and specifically erstwhile Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida grilled him on whether US servicemen will be placed in harm’s way during the construction of the task in Gaza.

Update on the Construction of the Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore capacity in Mediterranean Sea

Yesterday, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) temporally paused offshore assembly of the floating pier in the Vicinity of Gaza due to sea state considerations. Forested advanced winds and... pic.twitter.com/cIY2Tun7NX

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) May 3, 2024

Austin answered in the effective, and further said that trolls erecting the pier will be armed and that they will be autohorized to fire back if fire upon. It must be recorded that just last week a visiting delegation of UN officials came under mortar fire from Palestinian militants. Hamas has further warned that any abroad military presence on Gaza dirt will come under attack.

* * Oh, * *

Below is more from the speech Congressional exchange:

Gaetz: This is simply a very telling moment, Mr. Secretary, due to the fact that you’ve said something that’s rather possible, that could happen, right? Shots from Gaza on our service members, and then the consequence our armed service members shooting live fire into Gaza. That is simply a possible result here so that we can become the Port Authority and run this pier. Right?

Austin: That’s correct. And I anticipate that we will always have the ability to defend themselves.

Gaetz: Don’t you think that counts as boots on the ground? president Biden told the country that we were’t going to have boots on the ground in Gaza.

Austin: And we won’t

Gaetz: Okay, but you guys parse the destinations between... Like erstwhile Americans think boots on the ground, they think Americans in harp’s way or engaged actively in a conflict. You guys seem to be kind of saying that boots on a pier, connected to the ground, connected to service members shooting into Gaza doesn't number as boots on the ground?

Austin: It does not.

Gaetz: I think you’re gonna find the American people have a different position on that. And if we’re gonna have people shooting into Gaza, we probally should have a vote on that, polite to our war power.