Pentagon says over 50% of Gaza pier construction complete

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - Over 50% construction of a temporary pier off Gaza’s coast to deliver humanitarian aid has been completed, a Pentagon spokesperson said Wednesday.

"In terms of an update on JLOTS (Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore), so as of today, we are over 50% complete on setting up the pier," Sabrina Singh told reporters.

"The floating pier has been completely constructed and setup. The causeway is in progress," she added.

Humanitarian aid delivery will begin in early May, Singh said.

The Pentagon announced on March 8 that it would undertake an emergency mission to establish the pier on the Gazan coast to deliver up to 2 million humanitarian aid meals per day.

The mission includes a floating pier -- an 1,800-foot-long causeway -- that will be attached to the shore and a group of logistic support vessels.

Israel's war in Gaza, which began after a Oct. 7 incursion by Hamas, has devastated the enclave and plunged its 2.3 million people into a humanitarian catastrophe.

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