Wednesday, November 13, 2024

The US will soon end its troubled Gaza cruise mission, the Pentagon says

The U.S. military has failed to re-dock its humanitarian ship in Gaza, the Pentagon said Thursday, and will “immediately cease operations” for the aid delivery mission, which has suffered setbacks since President Biden announced it four months ago.

Major General Patrick Ryder, a spokesman, said in a statement that US troops tried to reattach the floating structure off the coast of Gaza on Wednesday but were unable to do so due to “technical and weather-related issues”. The ship and its support vessels were taken back to the Israeli port of Ashdod, where they sidelined the project amid recent rough waves, and will remain there until further notice, Ryder said.

Ryder’s statement did not indicate whether US forces would attempt to resume operations; Some officials said it was still unclear. A senior U.S. defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the military’s calculations, said commanders considered trying again Thursday but decided against it because of concerns about sea conditions.

“The pier will soon cease operations, and more details on that process and timing will be available in the coming days,” Rider’s statement said.

Repeated, repeated work, at a cost of $230 million, A source of controversy in polarized Washington, administration officials have defended the initiative despite its flaws, and other Democrats say the plan underscores Biden’s failure to ensure Israel prioritizes the hunger crisis facing Palestinians as a result of its war with Hamas.

The operation has sent about 20 million pounds of food ashore since it began on May 17. That’s part of what humanitarian groups say is that Israeli officials are resisting U.S. and international demands to send more aid to Gaza by land.

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Many Republicans say the mission, announced by Biden in his State of the Union address in early March, puts the roughly 1,000 U.S. troops involved at risk of being attacked. Those fears did not materialize.

Speaking to reporters Thursday, Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said the ship’s mission had made a difference in “trying to deal with the heartbreaking humanitarian situation” resulting from the nine-month war. “Any decision that produces more food, more humanitarian goods, I see as a win for the people of Gaza,” he added.

Sullivan said the main focus now is on providing aid to Gaza and the surrounding areas.

As the war’s shocking civilian casualties continue to rise, aid groups’ fears for the safety of their workers have challenged supplies from ships. Until recently, the arrivals were piled up in the beachside arena. A U.S. defense official familiar with the issue, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the latest developments, said a significant amount of that aid has been shifted elsewhere, making room for new supplies if the ship gets up and running again.

Late last month, U.S. personnel moved the building to Ashdod, north of Gaza, citing concerns that rough waves, which had previously caused extensive damage to the structure, could once again affect it.

Defense officials have repeatedly said, however, that the ship’s deployment is temporary and depends on calm seas to enable aid deliveries. The floating system is connected to land by a steel causeway and is limited to operating in waves no higher than three feet, according to past estimates in US military journals.

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The U.S. Agency for International Development, working in coordination with humanitarian groups working in Gaza, will continue to use all available means to get food and medicine to Palestinian citizens, an official there said this week. The official said the groups have begun using the port at Ashdod for additional aid supplies.

When the program was announced, administration officials said it would distribute up to 2 million meals a day to starving Palestinians. Biden said the scope of suffering in Gaza made the U.S. mission a moral imperative, and he insisted no U.S. troops would go ashore — trying to find a balance between putting Americans in harm’s way and standing idly by in the famine war. Population

Officials predict operations will begin in early May, but a recurring theme is strong tides Changed the plan, pushing back the initial anchoring of the pier until mid-month.

On May 25, days after the initial shipments began flowing, rough seas and strong winds tossed four military ships off the coast of Gaza, breaking the ship into pieces, prompting the suspension of operations. US officials have estimated at least $22 million in damage to the ship.

American troops reassembled it at Ashdod and towed it back into place on June 8. After six days it was removed – Again due to weather concerns. Before its most recent decommissioning in late June, the ship facilitated steady supplies for about a week, bringing 10 million pounds of aid ashore, the Pentagon said.

Missy Ryan contributed to this report.

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