Damaged by adverse weather conditions, the temporary US port in Gaza will require ‘at least a week’ to rebuild. The delivery of humanitarian aid via this facility, set up by the United States, has been suspended after sustaining damage, the US Department of Defence announced on Tuesday 28 May

The United States, Israel’s main military ally, installed this jetty in Gaza in mid-May in response to the severe restrictions imposed by Israel on the delivery of aid by land to the Palestinian territory, which has been devastated by more than seven months of conflict.

‘At least a week’
‘The reconstruction and repair of the jetty will take at least a week,’ Pentagon deputy spokeswoman Sabrina Singh told a press briefing. ‘Once the work is complete, the aim is to re-anchor the temporary jetty on the Gaza coast and resume the delivery of humanitarian aid to those who need it most’, she added.

Considered an inadequate alternative by humanitarian aid workers, the American jetty has already suffered several setbacks. On Saturday, four US army boats used for the jetty ran aground due to ‘rough seas’, according to the US military’s Middle East Command (Centcom).

According to the United Nations, almost all the 2.4 million inhabitants of the Gaza Strip have been displaced by the fighting and bombardments, and are food insecure, with a high risk of famine.