U.S. working to rebuild, repair Gaza aid pier: Pentagon

The U.S. is working to rebuild and repair a temporary humanitarian pier off the coast of Gaza after rough seas caused motorized sections to run aground last weekend, a Pentagon spokeswoman said Thursday.

"Earlier today, IDF engineers removed the anchored portion of the Trident pier from the beach. So, as of this afternoon, all sections of the Trident pier have been relocated to the port of Ashdod for rebuilding and repairing," Sabrina Singh told the reporters.

The two army vessels that were beached on the coast of Israel near Ashkelon have been recovered, said Singh.

"The recovery of the remaining two army vessels that were beached near the Trident pier is ongoing with assistance from the Israeli navy. As a reminder, the rebuilding and repairing of the pier will take over a week, and following completion, the Trident pier will be reanchored to the coast of Gaza," she added.

High sea states and a North African weather system caused a portion of the pier to detach, Singh reiterated.

Since the pier has not been operable since last weekend, she said there has not been aid flowing in from the marshalling area further into Gaza.

"There's been over 1000 metric tons that have flowed into Gaza. So, we're making progress. We expect to be able to pick that progress back up as soon as we are able to reanchor the Trident pier into Gaza," she added.

U.S. President Joe Biden ordered the establishment of a sea route to deliver food and other aid to Palestinians on March 8 amid Israeli restrictions and months of conflict in the enclave.

The JLOTS (Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore) -- the floating pier and the Trident pier -- became operational May 17 when trucks carrying humanitarian assistance began moving ashore via the pier.

'U.S. CANNOT DO AIRDROPS ON WHEN ISRAELI ARMY IS CONDUCTING OPERATIONS'

Asked if Israel's Rafah operation is the reason there have been no recent announcements about humanitarian airdrops into Gaza, Singh said the U.S. would like to continue to do the airdrops.

"But we also assess where it's safe to do it," she said. "This part of the airdrops calculation is also just wind and weather patterns. So, for safety and you know, making sure that those pallets don't go completely out to sea."

Singh said that the U.S. cannot do airdrops when the Israeli army is conducting operations.

"We don't want civilians running into an active battlespace. And so there hasn't been airdrops recently. But we do hope to continue this," she added.

Asked about when Israeli operations are not only harming civilians but preventing them from getting the aid that they need, Singh said the solution is to open land routes.

"That is the solution. We need to see those land routes open. We need to see more trucks getting in. We need to see civilians moved out of that battle space that can reach safety, that can reach medical care, food, water," she said.

Airdrops are "not the most efficient way or effective way" to get aid into Gaza, she said. "It is just an additive way, just as the temporary period. It is not the solution."

Israel has launched a brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, killing more than 36,000 victims, injuring many more and reducing the enclave to rubble. The onslaught has also left most civilians homeless and at risk of famine.

A Sunday airstrike by Israel on a tent camp housing displaced Palestinians in Rafah triggered a fire and killed at least 45 civilians, mostly women and children.