U.S.-built floating pier in Gaza could be dismantled earlier than expected

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A U.S.-built floating pier that was intended to ferry humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip could be shut down months before its relief mission concludes.

The White House estimated that the pier — formally known as the Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore (JLOTS) system — would operate until September’s rocky weather. Now military officials are warning aid organizations that JLOTS could be dismantled as early as July, The New York Times reported.

The cost of transporting the pier from the U.S. and constructing it off the Gaza coast was initially estimated at $320 million. Officials later said the cost would be $230 million. Meanwhile, JLOTS has faced several challenges since it was anchored onto the Gaza shore May 16. 

“The pier was political, not practical. It never made a lot of sense to do it this way,” said Richard Goldberg, a senior adviser with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies think tank. “We should be helping the people of Gaza by supporting Israel in defeating Hamas and pushing allies to send aid … not with virtue signaling intended to amplify Hamas information and undermine Israel.”

The floating pier has endured extended shutdowns and repair periods because of harsh sea conditions. Pentagon officials expect JLOTS to be operational again this week after it was towed to Ashdod, Israel, Friday to avoid damage from the high seas.

U.N. officials said the toll on civilians living in the Palestinian enclave has been devastating since Israeli forces invaded Gaza following the Hamas raid into Israel on Oct. 7 that slaughtered at least 1,200 people and resulted in hundreds taken hostage. The battles between Israel and Hamas are making it nearly impossible for aid organizations to deliver supplies, said Carl Skau, deputy executive director of the U.N.’s World Food Program. 

“It is getting harder to do our job. Staff spend five to eight hours waiting at checkpoints every day. Missiles hit our premises, despite being conflicted. The breakdown of law and order means we also face looting and violence amid a large security vacuum,” Mr. Skau said. 

The humanitarian situation in southern Gaza is deteriorating, and Mr. Shau said he fears it could soon see the same catastrophic levels of hunger that were recorded in the northern areas.

“A million people have been pushed out of Rafah and are trapped in a highly congested area along the beach in the burning southern heat,” he said.

The Defense Department said the JLOTS pier allowed for 7.7 million pounds of aid to reach the Gaza shore. Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon spokesman, on Tuesday said he didn’t have any information about a date for JLOTS to cease operations.

“We’ve said all along, first of all, that the pier is a temporary measure,” Gen. Ryder told reporters. “We’re going to capitalize on the conditions in terms of weather to get as much aid across that pier as we can.”