Israel-Gaza: US floating pier closed again; fighting in Shejaiya

“As always, the safety of our soldiers is our highest priority and temporarily relocating the pier will prevent any potential structural damage that could be caused by increased sea state,” she said.

President Biden announced the pier in his State of the Union address in March as part of his administration’s broader efforts to deliver food and other life-saving aid to starving Gaza residents as the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate and the enclave remains largely sealed off.

The US Central Command said it has helped deliver more than 8,831 tons of humanitarian aid to the Gaza shore since May 17, where aid groups are distributing it. But aid groups estimate that the battered Gaza Strip needs hundreds of truckloads of supplies every day to feed the more than two million trapped people. Before the war, the average weight of goods delivered to the enclave on weekdays was about 7,500 tons.

Critics argue that instead of building the pier, the United States could have delivered aid to Gaza more quickly and cheaply by pressuring the Israeli government to relax restrictions on land-based aid deliveries.

The pier is not a final solution to getting aid to Gaza, Singh said, adding that land routes are the most effective delivery method. “We continue to push for these land routes to be reopened.”

Construction of the pier off the northwest coast of Gaza was completed in May. The project cost an estimated $230 million. In late May, bad weather tore the pier apart, causing an estimated $22 million in damage and halting operations for several days while repairs were carried out. In early June, it was again partially dismantled and towed to a shelter in Ashdod to avoid the forecast bad weather. Operations resumed about a week later. But the restoration work has done little to answer questions about the ultimate effectiveness of the multimillion-dollar project or whether it might even be abandoned.

Another obstacle is the suspension of work by the United Nations World Food Programme, which is partly responsible for distributing aid from the pier, after an Israeli hostage rescue operation on June 8 freed four hostages and killed more than 250 Palestinians. WFP spokesman Steve Taravella told the Associated Press on Friday that UN involvement at the pier remains suspended until security concerns are addressed.

The United Nations had previously warned that “access restrictions – coupled with insecurity and ongoing hostilities – continue to significantly hamper the delivery of vital humanitarian assistance and services throughout the Gaza Strip,” Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, told reporters on Friday.

“This includes vital food and nutrition assistance, medical care, shelter support, and water, sanitation and hygiene services for hundreds of thousands of people in need.”

Dujarric also said that “at least 60,000 people” had been displaced from the Shejaiya area east of Gaza City in recent days. He added that UN teams were trying to deliver aid despite restrictions. “Whenever there is an opportunity for us and the safety of the recipients and when our personnel allow it, we will help them,” he added.

The Gaza Strip’s civil defense force said in an update on Saturday that it had received “numerous appeals from families who have been under siege in the Shejaiya neighborhood for three days” and called on international aid organizations to do more.

The Israel Defense Forces said in an update Saturday that its troops were “continuing their operational activities” in the Shejaiya area and “fighting simultaneously above and below ground.” The Israel Defense Forces said they had killed “a large number” of fighters and “discovered a weapons cache on a school campus in the area.” The Washington Post could not independently verify the claims.

Earlier this week, Israeli forces ordered residents to evacuate the Shejaiya neighborhood, which saw heavy fighting early in the war. Footage emerged on social media showing residents fleeing on foot and by bicycle. It is the latest area in northern Gaza where Israeli forces have returned to fighting after withdrawing months ago.

What else you should know

A police officer guarding the Israeli embassy in Belgrade, Serbia, was attacked with a crossbow on Saturday. reported the Associated Press. Serbia’s Interior Minister Ivica Dacic told the newspaper that the officer “used a weapon in self-defense to shoot the attacker, who died of his injuries.” The officer was conscious when he was taken to hospital, it said. The Israeli Foreign Ministry spoke of an “attempted terrorist attack” and added that the embassy was closed and no staff members were injured. “The circumstances of the incident are being investigated,” it said.

The Iranian mission to the United Nations warned of a “devastating war” if Israel starts a “full-scale military aggression” in Lebanon. The mission added in a post on X that “all options” were on the table and criticized Israeli “propaganda about the intention to attack Lebanon” as “psychological warfare.” Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Lebanese militant group, political party and ally of Hamas, has repeatedly said the Israeli offensive in Gaza must be stopped before its fighters stand down. U.S. officials have said they are working to calm the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah that has brought Lebanon to the brink of war.

More than 115,000 Gaza residents have entered Egypt since October. estimates the Palestinian Authority Embassy in Egypt. Several thousand sick and injured people have been treated in Egyptian hospitals, while the vast majority of those evacuated came with the help of foreign embassies or through tourism services. Most refugees are in limbo, without legal status and nowhere else to go. Washington Post reporters visited displaced Gazans in their homes and workplaces around Cairo.

The Gaza war was mentioned this week US presidential debate. “We are the largest producer of support for Israel in the world,” President Biden said, adding, “Hamas cannot be allowed to continue.” Former President Donald Trump argued that Israel must be enabled to “finish the job.” He said Biden had become “like a Palestinian, but they don’t like him because he is a very bad Palestinian, a weak one.”

Since the beginning of the war, at least 37,834 people have been killed and 86,858 injured in Gazasaid the Gaza Health Ministry on Saturday. It makes no distinction between civilians and fighters, but says that the majority of the dead are women and children. Israel estimates that around 1,200 people were killed in the Hamas attack on October 7, including more than 300 soldiers. Since the start of military operations in Gaza, 314 soldiers have been killed, it says.

Miriam Berger and Alon Rom contributed to this report.