How The Gaza Aid Pier Fell Apart

The $230 million pier was installed amid the Israeli military advance in the city of Rafah and the closure of the two southern border crossings that were supplying most of the aid to the Gaza Strip. The maritime corridor between Cyprus and Gaza—and an ongoing airdrop campaign—was meant to supplement ground deliveries, which are cheaper and more efficient.

But the hastily constructed pier was never designed to handle the Mediterranean Sea’s rough waters, which are expected to worsen over summer, and the logistics of delivering aid from the pier to the Gazan population proved vexing. The floating structure broke apart late last month after 10 days of operation, something defense officials privately described as all but inevitable, and some humanitarian organizations have all but given up making longer-term plans around the pier.

After a week of repairs, the pier went back in place Saturday, only to be shut down again Sunday because of the rough waters, the Pentagon said. It reopened Tuesday.

Key details hadn’t been fully sorted out days before the pier went into place, including how to ensure a steady stream of aid to Cyprus. Some private groups such as Fogbow, a private company made up of former U.S. government, military and United Nations officials, which bought 1,100 pallets of aid for Gaza, sought approvals to bring aid over the U.S. pier. The company has yet to receive permission.