President Joe Biden approved a floating aid pier in Gaza despite warnings that it could hurt other efforts to get humanitarian supplies into the war-torn region, the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) watchdog group reported on Tuesday.
The Israel-Hamas war—which started after the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a surprise terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, 2023—has led to a humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Palestinians in the region are on the brink of famine as aid trucks struggle to make their deliveries in the region.
In March, Biden approved a $230 million temporary maritime corridor, which included a floating pier, to deliver aid by water instead of by land. The corridor, known as JLOTS (Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore modular system) was constructed by mid-May.
However, multiple USAID staff warned that using JLOTS would detract from the agency’s efforts to open land crossings to get aid into Gaza, according to a report from the Office of Inspect General for the USAID published on Tuesday. The report said that land crossings were seen as “more efficient and proven methods” of delivering aid into the region.
U.S. Army soldiers, U.S. Navy sailors and Israel Defense Forces place the Trident Pier on the coast of Gaza Strip on May 16, 2024. President Joe Biden approved a floating aid pier in Gaza despite warnings that it could hurt other efforts to get humanitarian supplies into the war-torn region, the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) watchdog group reported on Tuesday.
U.S. Central Command via AP, File
The USAID still tried to use JLOTS “as effectively as possible” after Biden approved the pier. The agency asked for U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) support through JLOTS to feed or assist 500,000 people each month for three months.
However, the pier was only operational for 20 days and was decommissioned in mid-July due to structural damage caused by rough weather and high seas. The agency also had trouble delivering the aid once on shore due to “security and access challenges,” according to the report.
The USAID ended up only being able to deliver aid to feed 450,000 Palestinians for one month.
Sean Savett, a National Security Council (NSC) spokesman, said that JLOTS “had a real impact” of delivering food to Palestinians in need despite the obstacles.
“The bottom line is that given how dire the humanitarian situation in Gaza is, the United States has left no stone unturned in our efforts to get more aid in, and the pier played a key role at a critical time in advancing that goal,” Savett said in a statement on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the DOD said in a statement that the pier “achieved its goal of providing an additive means of delivering high volumes of humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza to help address the acute humanitarian crisis.”
Last October, roughly 1,200 people in Israel were killed in Hamas’ surprise attack and about 250 were taken hostage. Some 100 hostages remain in captivity, around a third of whom are believed to be dead. Meanwhile, over 40,000 Gazans have been killed in Israel’s military operation. Tuesday’s report said that roughly 96 percent of the population in Gaza faces severe food insecurity and a high risk of famine.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.
