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July 11 (UPI) -- The U.S. military said Thursday it will end the Gaza pier mission after a failed attempt to reconnect it to the shoreline Wednesday. "The pier will soon cease operations, with more details on that process and timing available in the coming day," spokesman Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder said in a statement.
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The statement added, "U.S. Central Command personnel supporting the mission to deliver much-needed humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians attempted yesterday to re-anchor the temporary pier to the beach in Gaza to resume humanitarian operations. However, due to technical and weather-related issues, CENTCOM personnel were unable to re-anchor the pier to the shore."
According to the Department of Defense, the Gaza pier constructed by the U.S. military delivered nearly 20 million pounds of humanitarian supplies collected by humanitarian organizations to Gaza.
DoD officials said that's the largest amount of aid transported by the U.S. military over a 3-month period, and the largest humanitarian response in the Middle East.
The pier always was seen as temporary, Defense officials said, and now the pier -- along with support vessels and equipment -- are returning to Ashdod, Israel, "where they will remain until further notice."
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Thursday, "I do anticipate that in relatively short order, we will wind down pier operations.
It was unclear whether the military would try again to re-anchor it before winding down the operation.
The pier project was plagued with technical problems and damage from rough seas that first occurred May 25. It began operation May 17. The pier was restored June 7.
It was relocated again to avoid high seas June 14.
After repairs, the $230 million pier was reconnected June 21.
On June 27, inspectors general for the DoD and U.S. Agency for International Development announced they would jointly review Gaza maritime aid deliver over the pier.
