Gaza floating pier

Gaza floating pier
Causeway connected to Gaza shore, shortly after completion on May 16
TypeBarge landing
CarriesFood aid from Cyprus
LocaleMediterranean Sea off Gaza Strip
Characteristics
ConstructionUS Army, US Navy
History
Construction startApril 6, 2024
Completion dateMay 16, 2024
Opening dateMay 17, 2024
Closure dateJuly 17, 2024
Coordinates31°29′49″N 34°24′29″E / 31.497°N 34.408°E / 31.497; 34.408

The Gaza floating pier was a floating dock facility created by the U.S. military after being proposed immediately before U.S. President Biden's 2024 State of the Union Address on March 7, 2024. It was in use between May and July 2024.

It was constructed by U.S. military forces based on ships offshore of the Gaza Strip, then connected to the shore by causeway, to enable the delivery of maritime cargo for humanitarian assistance to Gaza.[1][2][3][4] The unloading point joined the Netzarim Corridor.[5] The World Food Programme was responsible for receiving and distributing the aid.[6]

President Biden stated that Israel "must also do its part." He noted, "Humanitarian assistance cannot be a secondary consideration or a bargaining chip. Protecting and saving innocent lives has to be a priority."[7] Israel planned to inspect the humanitarian aid in Cyprus before it was shipped to the pier and again at checkpoints in Gaza once it was moved off the pier. The pier could deliver 150 trucks of aid per day.[8] After its collapse, it was dismissed by Stephen Walt as an expensive PR stunt to sidestep pressuring Israel to open its border crossings.[9] The United States denied allegations that Israeli forces had used the Gaza floating pier during the Nuseirat refugee camp massacre or the rescue operation.[10][11]

At its closure announcement on July 17, the pier had been operational for 20 days, delivering 8,800 tonnes (19,400,000 lb) of aid. The pier had been dismantled three times because of high sea states.[12]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference AP was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference WaPo was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference PBS was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference TheHill was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "What Israel's strategic corridor in Gaza reveals about its postwar plans". WAPO. May 17, 2024.
  6. ^ Yeung, Jessie (May 17, 2024). "US military starts delivering aid to Gaza through floating pier". CNN.
  7. ^ Borger, Julian (March 8, 2024). "Biden announces US will build pier on Gaza shore for large-scale aid delivery". The Guardian. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference bbc-20240426 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Stephen Walt, 'Biden's Foreign-Policy Problem Is Incompetence,' Foreign Policy June 4, 2024.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference thenational was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference faketruck was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference cnn-20240717 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).