The Pentagon said on May 28 that U.S. military personnel had detached and hauled away the damaged pier, to begin repairs at the southern coastal Israeli city of Ashdod.
“Earlier this morning in Gaza, U.S. forces successfully attached the temporary pier to the Gaza beach,” Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, deputy commander of U.S. Central Command, told reporters by phone on June 7. “We expect to resume delivery of humanitarian assistance from the sea in the coming days.”
Supply Traffic Increase
Vice Adm. Cooper indicated the reconstructed JLOTS pier will now be able to facilitate an even greater volume of humanitarian supplies.
During the original construction phase, the Pentagon said the pier would be able to handle about 90 truckloads of food and other humanitarian supplies into Gaza on average every day in the beginning, with a goal to expand to about 150 truckloads per day.
By the time the pier broke apart on May 25, after just eight days of operating, the Pentagon said around 1,000 metric tons of aid had transited the system.
Vice Adm. Cooper said on June 7 that delivery rates would ramp up once the military resumes operations. He set a goal to soon have 1 million pounds of food and other supplies flowing over the pier into the Gaza Strip every two days.
The U.S. military has used both the JLOTS pier and air-drops to facilitate increased humanitarian assistance to the embattled Gaza Strip, amid signs of a burgeoning famine.
Ms. Power said at the time that while humanitarian supply deliveries through the Gaza land crossings had improved somewhat, “the destruction of greeneries, and markets, and arable land, and then the fact that so few trucks got in over so many months means we have massive catch-up to do.”
The U.N. has estimated about 500 truckloads of humanitarian supplies and private sector goods reached the Gaza Strip daily through land crossings before the start of the current conflict.
President Joe Biden announced a three-phase cease-fire proposal at the end of May that includes a provision for an average of 600 truckloads of humanitarian supplies to enter the Gaza Strip every day.
“With a cease-fire, that aid could be safely and effectively distributed to all who need it. Hundreds of thousands of temporary shelters, including housing units, would be delivered by the international community,” President Biden said. “All of that and more would begin immediately.”
Pentagon Lowers Pier Cost Estimate
Pentagon officials have previously estimated the JLOTS pier would cost around $320 million to reach its initial operational capacity.
Ms. Singh said that while new storm repair costs were factored into her revised estimate for the JLOTS mission, she noted the cost estimates may continue to change.
“While assessments are ongoing, this assessment—this estimate does include some of the costs associated with the repairs and rebuilding of the pier,” she said. “And just as a reminder, these are estimates and initial assessments, and the cost could fluctuate depending on the length of the mission and future costs, an example of that being additional repairs.”
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
