Humanitarian workers have started moving tons of aid that piled up at a US-built pier off the Gaza coast to warehouses in the Strip, the United Nations said Saturday, according to The Associated Press.
It wasn't known when the aid might reach Gazans. This is the first time trucks have moved aid from the pier since the World Food Program, a UN agency, suspended operations there because of security concerns on June 9.
In just the last week, more than 10 million pounds were moved ashore, according to the US military.
WFP spokesperson Abeer Etefa told AP this is a one-time operation until the beach is cleared of the aid and is being done to avoid spoilage. Further UN operations at the pier depend on security assessments, Etefa said.
The move came a day after US officials said Friday that the pier built by the US military to bring aid to Gaza has been removed due to weather to protect it, and the US is considering not re-installing it unless the aid begins flowing out into the population again.
President Joe Biden, in his State of the Union address in March, announced the plans for the temporary pier on the coast of Gaza that would receive large shipments carrying food, water, medicine and temporary shelter and provide aid to the Strip.
However, the pier has continuously run into problems since it has been installed.
The pier was only operational for a week before a storm broke it apart and put back together.
Last week, US officials said the pier had been re-attached to the shore after being temporarily removed again days earlier due to poor sea conditions.
Several US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss military movements, told AP the military could reinstall the pier once the bad weather passes in the coming days, but the final decision on whether to reinstall it hasn’t been made.
Last week, The New York Times reported that the US pier has failed in its mission and may cease operations weeks ahead of schedule.