The Gaza floating pier was a floating dock facility created by the U.S. military after being proposed immediately before U.S. President Biden's 2024 State of the Union Address on March 7, 2024. It was in use between May and July 2024.
President Biden stated that Israel "must also do its part." He noted, "Humanitarian assistance cannot be a secondary consideration or a bargaining chip. Protecting and saving innocent lives has to be a priority."[7] Israel planned to inspect the humanitarian aid in Cyprus before it was shipped to the pier and again at checkpoints in Gaza once it was moved off the pier. The pier could deliver 150 trucks of aid per day.[8] After its collapse, it was dismissed by Stephen Walt as an expensive PR stunt to sidestep pressuring Israel to open its border crossings.[9] The United States denied allegations that Israeli forces had used the Gaza floating pier during the Nuseirat refugee camp massacre or the rescue operation.[10][11]
At its closure announcement on July 17, the pier had been operational for 20 days, delivering 8,800 tonnes (19,400,000lb) of aid. The pier had been dismantled three times because of high sea states.[12]
A blockade has been imposed on the movement of goods and people in and out of the Gaza Strip since Hamas's takeover in 2007, led by Israel and supported by Egypt. The blockade's current stated aim is to prevent the smuggling of weapons into Gaza; previously stated motivations have included exerting economic pressure on Hamas.[13]
Attempts to bring in humanitarian aid by water into Gaza have been attempted multiple times and have ended with intervention by the Israeli military. In May 2010, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) participated in a military operation dubbed the Gaza flotilla raid against six civilian ships in international waters, resulting in contested events; nine passengers of the flotilla killed and thirty passengers and 10 IDF troops wounded.[14] In July 2011, a second flotilla was planned by 22 NGOs to attempt to break the maritime blockade but did not take place.[15] In the summer of 2015, a third flotilla was planned to break the blockade and set out from Sweden with multiple stops before being intercepted by the Israeli military in international waters and participants detained.[16][17]
The Gaza Strip is experiencing a humanitarian crisis as a result of the Israel–Hamas war, which began after the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.[18][19] The crisis includes both a famine and the destruction of Gaza's healthcare system.[citation needed] At the start of the war, Israel tightened its blockade of the Gaza Strip on October 9, 2023, with Israel's Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced a "total blockade",[20] blocking the entry of food, water, medicine, fuel, and electricity.[21] This has resulted in significant shortages of fuel, food, medication, water, and essential medical supplies.[18][22] After receiving pressure from U.S. President Biden, Gallant changed his position of a complete blockade and a deal was made on 19 October for Israel and Egypt to allow aid into Gaza.[23]
In January 2024, Israeli authorities blocked 56% of humanitarian aid to northern Gaza.[24] On February 9, 2024, UNRWA's director Philippe Lazzarini reported that Israel had blocked food for 1.1 million Palestinians in Gaza.[25]
Outline plan
A JLOTS offshore modular unloading platform in 2012Army and Navy personnel constructing a JLOTS floating pier in 2008
On November 20, 2023, Christodoulides said Cyprus was ready to ship large quantities of humanitarian aid to Gaza when a pause in fighting was declared. He noted that shallow-draft vessels could be used in the short term to ferry aid, and in the medium term, a floating dock off Gaza could be used. He had regularly contacted the Israeli Prime Minister about the proposal, but getting authorization required careful negotiations. An Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Israel was "definitely in favor of the project."[31][32]
The Jerusalem Post reported that a senior Israeli diplomatic source said the plan was based on a proposal for a maritime route to Gaza via Cyprus for humanitarian assistance initiated by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in collaboration with President Biden on October 22, 2023. The Jerusalem Post reported that on October 31, Netanyahu outlined this proposal to Cypriot President Christodoulides. On January 19, 2024, Netanyahu proposed to Biden that a team should be set up to explore the proposal, including inspecting all goods transported.[33][34] On December 20, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said, "The creation of a maritime corridor to Gaza will help Israel's economic disengagement from the Strip", following a meeting with Cypriot Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos to discuss the maritime aid corridor.[35] Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman had proposed a similar plan to Cyprus in 2010 when it was called the Lieberman Proposal,[36] and again in 2018 when he was Defense Minister.[37] In 2021, Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid proposed the Gaza Development Plan which included a sea port on an artificial island under Israeli security control off Gaza.[38][39]
The pier was designed to allow delivery of thousands of tons of food aid at a time, equivalent to "hundreds of truckloads",[40] via barges embarked in Cyprus and screened for contraband there by Cyprus Police.[41]
General Frank S. Besson supported construction of the Gaza pier
Over 1,000 U.S. military personnel were involved in the construction of the pier and 1,800 foot (550m) long Joint Logistics Over-The-Shore (JLOTS) type modular causeway over 60 days.[42][43] The part of the JLOTS system[44] included in this project is a large floating modular unloading platform secured by sea anchors stationed about three miles offshore, allowing supplies to be then transferred by lighters to a modular causeway off the shore.[45][46] The project, known internally as the Blue Beach Plan, was partially developed by an advisory group called Fogbow, co-founded by Michael Mulroy, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense, and Sam Mundy, a retired Marine Lt. Gen. The plan includes potentially dredging a corridor on a private beachfront to aid unloading. The goal is to allow barges to approach the shore for aid distribution onto trucks. The military pier, once operational, could provide another way for aid delivery. The Joint Logistics Over-The-Shore (JLOTS) was not required under the original Blue Beach Plan.[47][48][49]
Fogbow plan
The Fogbow plan was a strategy created by the American advisory group Fogbow, founded by Michael Mulroy and Sam Mundy and managed by former US Military, Intelligence, and United Nations personnel, to establish a maritime corridor. According to the initial Fogbow plan, a significant portion of aid would be transported using Masri trucks to the Gaza Industrial Zone, a specified area within the Gaza sector. Additionally, Fogbow aimed to set up a new beach landing site to deliver humanitarian aid. The initiative sought to improve aid distribution by increasing the number of drop zones along the coast, making it easier to transport aid to remote areas that are difficult to reach by typical overland routes. The IDF agreed to provide security assistance to Fogbow. To support the implementation of this plan, funding would be directed through a recently established foundation called the "Maritime Humanitarian Aid Foundation."[50][51][52]
As of June 2024, the pier has handled thousands of tons of food aid,[53] with Fogbow delivering over a thousand pallets of food.[54]
On March 12, prior to construction of the U.S. pier, a barge "testing" the delivery route, operated by Spanish charity Proactiva Open Arms and loaded with 200 tons of food from World Central Kitchen, left the port of Larnaca in Cyprus for Gaza.[55][56] A jetty for unloading the barge was built at a location that was initially "not disclosed for security reasons",[57] but later discerned to be south of Gaza City (31°29′49″N34°24′29″E / 31.497°N 34.408°E / 31.497; 34.408 (Gaza WCK jetty)) by journalists using commercial satellite imagery or talking to local construction workers.[58][59] The Cyprus foreign minister, Constantinos Kombos, said on March 13 that the US pier and the food route out of Larnaca would become a single operation.[60] The first barge arrived and began to be unloaded at the World Central Kitchen jetty on March 15.[61][62]
Construction and route history
MVRoy P. BenavidezConstruction began in the Mediterranean Sea 8km from Gaza Strip, inside the exclusion zone shown hereConstruction of the floating pier, April 26, 2024
On March 9, 2024, the U.S. Army support ship General Frank S. Besson was sent from Norfolk to begin pier construction.[63] Four more ships with 500 Army troops left on March 12. The ships included landing craft USAV Wilson Wharf, USAV Matamoros and USAV Monterrey; and Besson-class support ship USAV SP4 James A. Loux.[64][65][66] In addition to Army, Naval Beach Group 1 from San Diego, and MVRoy P. Benavidez(T-AKR-306) from an East Coast maritime reserve force were assigned to assist in construction.[67]Roy P. Benavidez departed from Virginia on March 21.[68]
The Senate Intelligence and Foreign Relations Committee chairpersons Mark Warner and Ben Cardin (both Democrats) requested briefings from the Biden administration on the force protection plan for the U.S. units participating in the construction.[69] On March 28, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs told the press that Israel would be providing security during the installation of the pier.[70]
By April 5, Besson and Benavidez had reached the Mediterranean.[71] By April 17, Besson, Benavidez and three other Army vessels had reached Crete.[72] During April the IDF prepared the 67 acres (27ha) concrete walled landing site which included a storage zone for aid awaiting movement by trucking contractors into Gaza.[73] The Royal Navy participated in the effort; RFA Cardigan Bay was used by American soldiers and sailors as a dormitory.[8]
On April 26, construction of the pier by US forces began,[74] and satellite photos published a few days later showed Benavidez building the dock 8 kilometers (4.3 nautical miles) from the Gaza shore.[75]
On May 1, a Pentagon spokesperson said that the floating pier was complete, and the causeway was under construction, with the total project more than half completed.[76] On May 7, it was reported that the causeway had been assembled offshore and was ready to be moved and connected to the shore.[77][78]
A Centurion C-RAM (Counter-Rocket, Artillery, and Mortar) and the M-LIDS anti-drone systems were installed in May by the shore-attached section of the pier for force protection.[79][80]
Truck with humanitarian aid drives down ship ramp to roll-on/roll-off discharge facility (RRDF) about 3 nautical miles offshore on first day of operation
On May 16, the U.S. military announced that the causeway had been anchored and connected to the Gaza shoreline.[81][82] Trucks began delivering aid off of the pier on May 17.[83] On May 21, a Pentagon spokesperson said that 569 tonnes of aid had crossed the temporary pier but had so far not been distributed, and that moving forward on "safety and security" for humanitarian aid organization workers was critical.[84]
The U.S. military cost estimate to build the pier and operate it for 90 days was $320 million, roughly double the initial estimate.[85] Two U.S. Army service members who were injured in May while working on the project later returned to duty, but a third, Sgt. Quandarius Stanley, died on October 31.[86]
Damage and repair
On May 25, 2024, the U.S. military announced that four boats that were part of the pier's support system broke off from the structure following choppy waters. The four boats became beached, with the military stating that the structure would remain operational. It also added that efforts were underway to retrieve the four vessels.[87]
On May 28, 2024, the U.S. military suspended aid delivery to Gaza after the floating pier was damaged by bad weather.[88] The Pentagon confirmed that a portion of the causeway was damaged and broken off, and must be repaired before being returned to use. Spokeswoman Sabrina Singh stated that the pier will be removed from the sea with help from the Israeli Navy and undergo over a week of repairs in Ashdod before returning.[89][90] Fogbow is directly involved with the JLOTS in moving the pier to and from the safe harbor in Ashdod.[54]
At the beginning of June, the Pentagon estimated that up to the suspension over 1,000 tonnes of aid had been delivered to shore, 900 tonnes of which had reached UN warehouses.[91]
The repaired pier was reinstalled by June 7.[92][93] Around June 18, 2024, after being operative for ten days, US officials indicated that the pier could be dismantled by early July.[94][95] On 22 June, parts of the pier washed up on Frishman Beach in Tel Aviv.[96] The US said on 28 June that they were for the third time moving the pier due to weather conditions and said that it may not be restored.[97][98]
The pier constructed by the U.S. military to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza was scheduled for reinstallation on July 10, 2024, for temporary use.[99] As of July 11, the pier was authorized for operation through the end of the month of July, with possible extension until weather makes it untenable.[100] On July 11, US officials confirmed that the pier would soon cease operations.[101][102]
Shutdown
Vice Admiral Brad Cooper announced on July 17 that "[t]he maritime surge mission involving the pier is complete".[103] Cooper said the pier had been operational for 20 days, delivering 19.4million pounds (8,800 metric tons) of aid. The remaining aid in Cyprus will be delivered to the port of Ashdod in Israel with the assistance of the US military, then delivered to Gaza by trucks via the Erez Crossing.[12]
On June 8, 2024, Israel initiated a military action that rescued 4 hostages and killed 274 Palestinians (mostly civilians), according to Gaza Health Authorities. While the United States acknowledged assisting Israel in the operation, it denied that the floating pier was used.[10] A video emerged on social media showing an Israeli Black Hawk helicopter close to the pier picking up IDF soldiers and hostages.[104] The video also shows military equipment, including a US counter-drone system, on the pier.[10]
The Popular Resistance Committees in Gaza released a statement in which it "confirms the participation of American enemy forces stationed on the floating dock" to conduct an attack on the Nuseira refugee camp.[11]Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor said IDF didn't just evacuate using the pier and that it was likely that the IDF entered into Gaza using the pier as well.[105] United States officials told CBS News reporters that the video appearing to show the helicopter taking off from the beach near the pier, showed the helicopter landing south of the facility and not within the cordoned off area adjacent to pier.[104]
Shortly after the rescue operation, it was announced that the United Nations World Food Program would pause all of its work with the pier, until a security review and review of how the IDF may have utilized the pier was completed. During the review, undistributed humanitarian aid remained on the beach, as the UN worked to transfer it to warehouses and local aid teams within Gaza.[106]
Reactions
On May 17, 2024, the spokesperson for UNOCHA stated that getting aid into Gaza "cannot and should not depend on a floating dock far from where needs are most acute".[107] On May 21, the UN stated aid had not entered Gaza from the pier in two days, and that it was at risk of failure unless Israel provided safe operating conditions for humanitarian organizations.[108] The White House National Security communications adviser stated, "This temporary pier is not enough... Clearly not enough is being done to open up the crossings. That's just unacceptable".[109] In June 2024, the media office for Hamas government in the Gaza Strip criticized the pier, stating only 120 trucks had come through it and that it was "useless".[110]
Stephen Walt criticized the whole operation for its cost – after the damage expected to run into hundreds of millions – arguing that the project arose from the Biden administration's reluctance to pressure Israel into opening its borders to allow relief aid in sufficient quantities to overcome the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and sustain the population.[9] Military experts noted that JLOTS (Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore) type piers were not designed to operate in rough seas and were last used in Haiti in 2010. Since then, relatively little investment has been directed to the technology; the watercraft are old, and funds for repairs have been scarce, with available craft rusting. Firms that had earlier supplied parts had now gone out of business. One military source said that the Army has long underestimated the difficulty of constructing and maintaining a floating pier. The administration itself admits that the best way to supply Gaza is through land routes.[111]
The Financial Times estimated less than 600 trucks of aid were delivered via the pier, about two days of aid to Gaza before the war, calling the pier a "colossal failure".[112]
At a press conference on July 11, US President Biden said he was disappointed with the failures in providing aid through the Gaza floating pier.[113]
Lloyd James Austin III is a retired U.S. Army officer and current civil servant who has served as the 28th United States secretary of defense since January 22, 2021.
The Free Gaza Movement (FGM) is a coalition of human rights activists and pro-Palestinian groups formed to break Egypt and Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip and publicise the situation of the Palestinians there. FGM has challenged the Israeli–Egyptian blockade by sailing humanitarian aid ships to Gaza. The group has more than 70 endorsers, including the late Desmond Tutu and Noam Chomsky.
The restrictions on movement and goods in Gaza imposed by Israel date to the early 1990s. After Hamas took over in 2007, Israel significantly intensified existing movement restrictions and imposed a complete blockade on the movement of goods and people in and out of the Gaza Strip. In the same year, Egypt closed the Rafah crossing point. The blockade's current stated aim is to prevent the smuggling of weapons into Gaza; previously stated motivations have included exerting economic pressure on Hamas. Human rights groups have called the blockade illegal and a form of collective punishment, as it restricts the flow of essential goods, contributes to economic hardship, and limits Gazans' freedom of movement. The blockade and its effects have led to the territory being called an "open-air prison".
IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation or İHH is a conservative Turkish GONGO, active in more than 120 countries.
The Port of Gaza is a small port near the Rimal district of Gaza City, Gaza. It is the home port of Palestinian fishing-boats and the base of the Palestinian Naval Police, a branch of the Palestinian National Security Forces. Under the Oslo II Accord, the activities of the Palestinian Naval Police are restricted to 6 nautical miles from the coast. Since 2007, the Port of Gaza has been under an Israeli-imposed naval blockade as part of a blockade of the Gaza Strip, and activities at the port have been restricted to small-scale fishing.
The Gaza flotilla raid was a military operation by Israel against six civilian ships of the "Gaza Freedom Flotilla" on 31 May 2010 in international waters in the Mediterranean Sea. Nine of the flotilla passengers were killed during the raid, with thirty wounded. Ten Israeli soldiers were wounded, one seriously. The exact sequence of events is contested, in part due to the IDF's confiscation of the passengers' photographic evidence. The flotilla, organized by the Free Gaza Movement and the Turkish Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief (İHH), was carrying humanitarian aid and construction materials, intending to break the Israeli naval blockade of the Gaza Strip.
The Gaza Freedom Flotilla was a small fleet of ships organized in 2010 by the Free Gaza Movement and the Turkish Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief (İHH) carrying humanitarian aid and construction materials with the intention of breaking the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip. In typical circumstances, aid is first brought to Israel to be inspected and then transferred to Gaza.
Antony John Blinken is an American lawyer and diplomat currently serving as the 71st United States secretary of state. He previously served as deputy national security advisor from 2013 to 2015 and deputy secretary of state from 2015 to 2017 under President Barack Obama. Blinken was previously national security advisor to then–Vice President Joe Biden from 2009 to 2013.
"Freedom Flotilla II – Stay Human" was a flotilla that planned to break the maritime blockade of the Gaza Strip by Israel by sailing to Gaza on 5 July 2011. Ultimately, the sailing did not take place.
Gaza Seaport is a planned seaport in the Gaza Strip. The establishment of a Gaza seaport was mentioned in the Oslo I Accord, as early as 1993. The 1999 Sharm el-Sheikh Memorandum determined that the construction works could commence on 1 October 1999. The project started on 18 July 2000, but was stopped in an early stage due to obstruction of the supply of construction materials, and destruction by the Israeli army in September and October 2000 when the Second Intifada inflamed. The 2005 Agreement on Movement and Access, following Israel's withdrawal from Gaza, re-announced the start of the works. Israel promised to assure donors that it will not interfere with operation of the port. As of 2014, however, the construction has not been resumed.
Michael Patrick Mulroy is the former United States Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (DASD) for the Middle East, serving under Secretary James N. Mattis and Secretary Mark T. Esper. He was responsible for representing the United States Department of Defense (DoD) for defense policy and for Middle East policy in the interagency. He is also a retired CIA Paramilitary Operations Officer and a United States Marine.
World Central Kitchen (WCK) is a not-for-profit, non-governmental organization that provides food relief. It was founded in 2010 by Spanish American chef and restaurateur José Andrés following the earthquake in Haiti, and has subsequently responded to Hurricane Harvey, the 2018 lower Puna eruption, 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, and the ongoing Gaza humanitarian crisis.
Nikos Christodoulides is a Cypriot politician, diplomat, and academic who has served as the 8th President of Cyprus since 2023. He previously served as Government Spokesman from 2014 to 2018 and Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2018 to 2022, both under his predecessor Nicos Anastasiades. A former member of the Democratic Rally, he has been an independent since the party ejected him for entering the 2023 presidential race against their chosen candidate.
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Following the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel and outbreak of the Israel–Hamas war, the United States began to send warships and military aircraft into the Eastern Mediterranean and began sending Israel more military supplies. The Joe Biden administration stated that Israel would receive "whatever it needs" to support its offensive against the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.
Events in the year 2024 in Palestine.
During the Israel–Hamas war, humanitarian aid entered into the Gaza Strip via air, land and sea. Early in the war, significant issues arose with humanitarian aid. Israel's initial blockade on Gaza, immediately following the October 7 attacks, prevented the entry of humanitarian aid for several weeks. As the war progressed, aid was allowed at limited quantities. Entities such as Oxfam, the European Union, United Kingdom, and United Nations stated that Israel is deliberately blocking humanitarian aid. These limitations have contributed to a severe humanitarian crisis and a risk of famine. Israeli airstrikes and continued restrictions on aid entry led to widespread shortages of food and supplies. Distribution of aid within Gaza has also been an issue, as police have refused to protect aid convoy after airstrikes killed eight police in Rafah.
Israel has been accused of committing genocide in the Israel–Hamas war, and the United States has been accused of complicity in the Gaza genocide. The complicity accusation has been made in court, by federal staffers, human rights organizations and academic figures around the world. The US has also been accused of enabling the Gaza Strip famine.
The population of the Gaza Strip has faced starvation and famine since the blockade started in 2007. As a result of this, official bodies have urged Israel to improve the facilitation of humanitarian aid supplies to Gaza. According to the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, an Israeli military unit responsible for humanitarian aid, aid "is routed to Egypt and then forwarded to undergo Israeli security screening at either Nitzana or Kerem Shalom Crossings". There is also an aid delivery channel via Jordan.
↑ Karen DeYoung (March 7, 2024). "Live updates and analysis of Biden's address". Washington Post. Biden announces his new initiative for the U.S. military to build a port and a pier to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza by ship, and quickly repeats his call for a two-state solution as the only path to peace.
↑ "Light at the End of Their Tunnels? Hamas and the Arab Uprisings"(PDF). International Crisis Group. August 14, 2012. p.38, note 283. Archived(PDF) from the original on September 2, 2012. Retrieved May 18, 2024. The prime minister is comfortable with limited economic growth in Gaza, particularly as a way to modify Hamas's urge to get into trouble. We still want there to be a discrepancy between economic life in Gaza and the West Bank, but we no longer feel it needs to be so large.
↑ Finkelstein, N. (2021). Gaza: An Inquest Into Its Martyrdom. United States: University of California Press. pp. 146 "The only witnesses able to contest the official Israeli account had been impris- oned and their photographic evidence confiscated."
↑ Eglash, Ruth Marks; Harkov, Lahav (March 13, 2024). "Food airdrops, pier construction can't overcome chaos in Gaza aid distribution, say officials". Jewish Insider. New York. Retrieved March 16, 2024. Contrary to the Biden administration's portrayal of the initiative as a way to bypass Israel, Jewish Insider heard Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tout the idea in a press briefing – off the record at the time – on Nov. 5, 2023. Netanyahu said at the time, less than a month into the war, that he had already discussed the idea with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides.
↑ de Vega, Luis; Hierro, Lola (March 13, 2024). "Operation Safeena: The thousand and one obstacles to bringing aid to Gaza by sea". El Pais. Another problem was how to unload the aid in Gaza when there are no working ports left. For this reason, WCK has been building a jetty for weeks with rubble, the remains of bombed buildings, and some cranes and construction machines that still work. Its location has not been disclosed for security reasons.
↑ "Cyprus says its maritime aid corridor will utilize US-built Gaza pier". Associated Press. March 13, 2024 – via Times of Israel. Cyprus' foreign minister says a US initiative to build a pier off Gaza for large-scale aid deliveries to the territory by sea will eventually be folded into the Cyprus-Gaza maritime corridor that's currently running. Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos says although the two initiatives are now separate, all aid reaching Gaza by sea will eventually have as its single departure point the Cypriot port of Larnaca.
↑ Joe Gould; Lara Seligman (March 15, 2024). "Democrats join Republicans in wanting more answers on Biden's Gaza pier – Sen. Richard Blumenthal says he has 'very serious questions about how the construction will be done, with the assurance of safety to our troops.'". Politico.
↑ "US completes construction of Gaza aid pier". Agence France-Press. May 7, 2024 – via Radio France Internationale. The US military has completed construction of its Gaza aid pier, but weather conditions mean it is currently unsafe to move the two-part facility into place, the Pentagon said Tuesday.
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