The U.S.-built military pier in the Gaza Strip has been removed due to weather concerns and it is unclear whether it will be reinstalled, several anonymous U.S. officials told the Associated Press on Friday.
President Joe Biden’s $230 million pier has done little to usher aid to Gazan civilians since its original installment in early May. Several aid groups deemed the project a failure last week for being largely ineffective. It suffered significant damage from the sea just 10 days after installation, and many of the 137 trucks of aid that were transported were intercepted before they could reach civilians, the Pentagon said.
“The pier is humanitarian theatre,” Refugees International president and former USAID senior adviser Jeremy Konyndyk said on May 17. “Much more about political optics than humanitarian substance.”
The announcement comes just one day after House Armed Services Committee chairman Rep. Mike Rogers (R., Ala.) sent a letter to the Biden administration demanding its shutdown, citing high costs to taxpayers and heightened risk for American military personnel.
“I urge the Administration to immediately cease this failed operation before further catastrophe occurs and consider alternative means of land and air-based humanitarian delivery,” Rogers told White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
The pier was shut down a month ago after a piece broke off due to rough weather conditions, rendering it temporarily inoperable after just 10 days. Military officials in May speculated the pier would be dismantled within the month, while the Biden administration insisted it would remain operational until September.
