White House Signals Gaza Aid Pier Mission Will Soon End

Trucks loaded with humanitarian aid from the United Arab Emirates and the United States Agency for International Development cross the Trident Pier before arriving on the beach on the Gaza Strip on May 17, 2024. Staff Sgt. Malcolm Cohens-Ashley/U.S. Army via AP

The U.S. military will soon shut down its Gaza humanitarian aid pier, according to White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan.

“I'll let CENTCOM [U.S. Central Command] speak about their plans with respect to the pier, but I do anticipate that in relatively short order, we will wind down pier operations,” Mr. Sullivan said during a July 11 news briefing.

Since the pier was set up in mid-May, the U.S. military has had to suspend operations and relocate the structure to the Israeli port city of Ashdod on three separate occasions, due to concerns about poor weather.

The pier was last moored to the Gaza shoreline in late June, before being relocated to Ashdod for a third time.

Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder confirmed the plan to shut down the pier.

“The pier will soon cease operations, with more details on that process and timing available in the coming days,” the Pentagon spokesman said in a July 11 statement.

The Epoch Times reached out to CENTCOM for further comment about any specific timeline. The U.S. military command declined to offer a direct comment on the matter.

In his statement, Maj. Gen. Ryder said CENTCOM had attempted to re-anchor the pier to the Gaza shoreline on July 10, although the effort was abandoned amid technical and weather-related challenges.

He said another re-anchoring date hasn’t been set and the pier, support vessels, and other equipment will remain in Ashdod until further notice.

Last month, the Pentagon inspector general’s office announced it intends to review the military’s handling of the pier mission.

The inspector general for the U.S. Agency for International Development also announced its plans to review the aid distribution throughout the Gaza Strip once offloaded from the makeshift pier.

Mr. Sullivan and Maj. Gen. Ryder both said that the temporary pier operation had been successful.

The Pentagon spokesman said the pier has allowed nearly 20 million pounds of humanitarian supplies to be delivered to Gaza.

“I see any result that produces more food, more humanitarian goods, getting to the people of Gaza, as a success,” Mr. Sullivan said.

The president’s adviser said the decision to wind down the mission is based on the view that enough other supply routes are now open to the Gaza Strip. Mr. Sullivan said the focus should now shift to improving the aid distribution channels within the area.

“The real issue right now is not about getting aid into Gaza. It’s about getting aid around Gaza effectively,” he said.

Mr. Sullivan said Israeli forces periodically pause military operations to enable aid distribution within the embattled territory.