Humanitarian Help - USA close provisional port in Gaza after numerous issues
The USA permanently shuts down the operation of a provisional port near the Gaza Strip coast. The mission is over, the responsible US Military regional command announced. An alternative route for the delivery of humanitarian aid to the sealed-off coastal areas through Ashdod port in Israel is being planned. Details about this were not yet known.
The pier was intended to be a temporary solution from the start. Since its commissioning in May, there have been problems, however. Rough sea conditions severely damaged the pier along the Gaza Strip coast. Distributing humanitarian aid for the suffering population in the Gaza Strip also proved to be more than challenging.
The representative of the US Central Command tried to present the project as a success. According to the US Military, the pier had achieved its intended effect, "namely, bringing a large amount of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip and ensuring that the aid reached the civilian population in the Gaza Strip quickly."
Port before Gaza expensive and inefficient
Since the war between Israel and the Islamic Hamas, there has been great humanitarian need in the Gaza Strip for months. For the first time on May 17, trucks with humanitarian aid reached the Gaza Strip via the provisional port. The Pentagon estimates the cost of the port at around $300 million (276 million Euro).
The expectations for the project were high: The Pentagon initially assumed that about 90 truck-loads of cargo could leave for the Gaza Strip daily via the port at the outset. Later, up to 150 truck-loads were expected daily.
Ships brought humanitarian aid from Cyprus initially to a floating platform several kilometers off the coast of the Gaza Strip. The cargo was then transferred to smaller ships that could approach the coast more closely. These finally docked at the pier fixed to the coast, from where the aid was to be received and distributed by humanitarian organizations.
Humanitarian organizations welcomed the establishment of the facility but pointed out that land transport was much more efficient. The US government emphasized that the corridor over the Mediterranean did not replace land transport and aerial deliveries but only supplemented them.
Despite the US Military's claim of the port's success, its closure might impact the delivery of aid to the Gaza Strip significantly. The alternative route through Ashdod port in Israel may face challenges due to Israel's restrictions, potentially exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, which is mainly funded by countries like the USA.
