Several U.S. Military vessels operating on President Joe Biden’s $320 million Gaza pier ran ashore in Gaza and Israel late last week after they broke free from their moorings due to choppy maritime conditions.
The incident on Saturday resulted in two vessels running ashore in Gaza near the pier while two others washed up on Israeli beaches near Ashkelon.
“Efforts to recover the vessels are under way with assistance from the Israeli Navy,” U.S. Central Command said in a statement. “The IDF is supporting the recovery efforts near the pier. No U.S. personnel will enter Gaza. No injuries have been reported and the pier remains fully functional.”
NPR reported that the vessels that ran ashore in Israel were a tugboat and a landing craft mechanized (LCM). Videos circulated online showing the two vessels in Israel.
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Part of US-built Gaza pier swept into sea, then recovered. pic.twitter.com/dVI0pmMV3j
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) May 25, 2024
Several vessels washed ashore as they attempted to provide aid across the US-built aid pier in Gaza pic.twitter.com/ioagJkjY7A
— The National (@TheNationalNews) May 26, 2024
Biden announced in March that he was deploying the pier to provide aid to Gazans as Israel conducts its military campaign against the Hamas terrorist organization. He said at the time that no U.S. troops would enter.
The pier has largely been a disappointment for the administration after it deployed a thousand U.S. service members to open it last week.
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After a full week of operations, only 820 tons of aid was offloaded from the pier. Roughly a third of that aid was hijacked and stolen.
Three U.S. service members were injured last week during an operation supporting the transfer of humanitarian assistance into Gaza.
“On May 23, a U.S. service member sustained a non-combat related injury aboard USNS Benavidez (T-AKR 306) while in support of the humanitarian aid mission to Gaza,” a U.S. defense official said. “The service member was transported to a medical facility and is in critical condition at this time. More information will be provided as it becomes available.”
The two other injured service members reportedly sustained minor injuries.