Gaza aid via temporary pier suspended after rough seas cause damage – officials

US Army soldiers assigned to the 7th Transportation Brigade (Expeditionary), US Navy sailors assigned to Amphibious Construction Battalion 1, and Israel Defence Forces placing the Trident Pier on the coast of the Gaza Strip on May 16 (US Central Command via AP)

A US-built temporary pier that had been used to deliver additional humanitarian aid into Gaza was damaged by rough seas and has temporarily suspended operations, three US officials told The Associated Press.

The Joint Logistics Over The Shore (JLOTS) pier only began operations last week and had provided an additional way to get critically needed food to Gaza.

The setback is the latest for the pier, which has already had three US service member injuries and had four of its vessels beached due to heavy sea states.

All land crossings into Rafah are entirely controlled by Israel (Staff Sgt Malcolm Cohens-Ashley/US Army via AP)

The pier was fully functional as late as Saturday when heavy sea states unmoored four of the army boats that were being used to ferry pallets of aid from commercial vessels to the pier, which was anchored into the beach and provided a long causeway to then drive that aid on to the shore.

Two of the vessels were beached on Gaza and two others on the coast of Israel near Ashkelon.