President Joe Biden’s $230 million humanitarian pier on the coast of Gaza has been deemed a failure by aid groups and could be permanently shut down, the New York Times reported Tuesday.
The pier was only functional for 10 days when it had to be shut down for repairs after rough weather. It will now likely be dismantled weeks earlier than expected, per the report. The Biden administration said the pier would be in operation until September, but military officials expect the pier to be dismantled within the next month.
Aid groups have criticized the pier for being largely ineffective and doing little to usher aid into Gaza since Biden ordered the military to construct it in March. The pier required more than 1,000 U.S. service members for its construction and operation and is estimated to cost taxpayers $230 million. While the pier was still in operation, it transported 137 trucks of aid, but much of that aid did not reach Gazan civilians because the trucks were intercepted, according to the Pentagon.
On Sunday, the Israeli military announced daytime pauses in fighting in certain locations in southern Gaza to allow humanitarian aid to reach civilians. The pause applies to about 7.4 miles of road in Rafah and takes place every day between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. COGAT, a unit in the Israeli military that oversees aid in Gaza, said the pause would increase aid flow into Rafah and other parts of southern Gaza.
