US Central Command
A roll-on roll-off logistics facility, or floating pier, is towed by an Army tugboat during Operation Neptune Solas off the coast of Gaza on May 1, 2024. The temporary pier will support assistance from the U.S. Agency for International Development. Providing humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza.
CNN
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A floating pier to allow humanitarian supplies to flow into Gaza by sea is being moved from the port of Ashdod to Gaza, a U.S. defense official said.
Additionally, warships are on their way to Gaza to build a pier and anchor it to the coast, officials said.
The pier’s move had been delayed for several days due to safety concerns and sea conditions, but Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said Tuesday that the pier should be ready for use “within a few days.” The port of Ashdod is about 30 miles from Gaza’s logistics hub, where goods are offloaded from the causeway, and components of the system should be in place soon.
The Joint Land-based Logistics (JLOTS) system consists of two parts: a floating pier, where cargo is offloaded, and a causeway, which transfers cargo to logistics hubs in Gaza.
On Wednesday, the UK announced that the first shipment of humanitarian aid, including 8,400 temporary shelters, was on its way from Cyprus to Gaza. Cyprus is a transit point for humanitarian aid transported to Gaza through maritime corridors and piers.
Britain said in a statement that “assistance supplies will be distributed within Gaza as soon as possible.”
Meanwhile, U.S. humanitarian supplies have already been placed on ships in Ashdod port and will be unloaded as soon as the pier is ready, the Pentagon announced.
The temporary jetty is intended to supplement aid supplies entering Gaza by land. The initial goal is to allow 90 truckloads of aid to enter Gaza through the pier each day, Britain said. Numbers that may increase When the pier is fully operational, truck traffic reaches 150 vehicles per day.
Last week, CNN reported that the United States still faces many obstacles before it can begin operating JLOTS. The United States was closely monitoring whether Israel’s “limited” incursion into Rafah, southern Gaza, would affect the temporary pier. Additionally, the United States had not yet finalized plans for who would transport humanitarian supplies from the causeway to distribution points in the Gaza Strip.
On Monday, the Pentagon announced it had a contract for a driver for the pier, but declined to identify the driver.
“All we can say is that it’s a third-party contractor, but that’s about it,” Sabrina Singh, deputy Pentagon spokeswoman, said at a news conference. Once the humanitarian aid arrives in Gaza, the United Nations World Food Program will distribute it to Palestinians.
Rider said Tuesday that security is in place to allow JLOTS to begin operations once the pier is ready.
“We are confident that we will have the necessary security,” Ryder said.
The first three months of JLOTS operations will cost about $320 million, according to the Department of Defense.
