US Military Dock in Gaza Damaged; Aid Operations Halted

According to two American officials, the aid operations at the United States military dock in Gaza have been temporarily halted due to damage to one of its sections. Thus, this dock, which was established to deliver humanitarian aid to Palestinians trapped in Gaza, will be inactive for an unspecified period. The American officials, who requested anonymity, told Reuters that adverse weather conditions are likely the reason for the damage to this section of the dock. They did not provide details about the size of the damaged part or the time required for reconstruction and reopening of the dock. This temporary floating dock was constructed under the orders of President Joe Biden and assembled by the U.S. Army on the shores of Gaza, which lacks port infrastructure. It is estimated that the construction of this dock, which became operational two weeks ago, cost $320 million in the first 90 days, with about a thousand Americans involved in completing the project. A spokesperson for the World Food Program of the United Nations stated that since the opening of this dock, the UN has transferred approximately 900 tons of aid to Gaza via 137 trucks from the dock. The UN has resumed aid delivery to Gaza through the American dock. The White House has stated that the flow of more humanitarian aid to Gaza is ongoing. As military operations intensify in the north, the entry of international aid into Gaza through the American-built floating dock has begun. The U.S. Army has completed and deployed the floating dock for delivering aid to Gaza.