US relief efforts in Gaza suffered an embarrassing setback after a temporary dock built by the military collapsed during rough seas, The Guardian reported on May 28, citing the Pentagon.
The $320 million dock was intended to provide a critical shipping line for humanitarian aid by sea to deliver aid to starving Palestinians and alleviate the humanitarian disaster. Humanitarian work has been suspended for at least a week.
US Department of Defense Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said high seas and a North African weather system caused part of the pier to dislodge on the morning of May 28.
The dock will be dismantled and shipped to the southern Israeli city of Ashdod, where repairs will be carried out by US Central Command.
“The restoration and repair of the pier will take at least more than a week and, once completed, it will need to be moored again to the coast of Gaza.”Singh said.
“The weather plays a role. “Mother Nature has a say here and the Eastern Mediterranean, even in summer, can be a pretty harsh place and that is exactly what is happening now.”said US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby.
Earlier, US Central Command said four US military ships supporting the dock became undocked and ran aground in rough seas. Two of them reached the coast of Gaza and the other two reached the coast of Israel, 30 miles south of Tel Aviv.
Source: Rossa Primavera
I am Michael Melvin, an experienced news writer with a passion for uncovering stories and bringing them to the public. I have been working in the news industry for over five years now, and my work has been published on multiple websites. As an author at 24 News Reporters, I cover world section of current events stories that are both informative and captivating to read.