UPDATE - Heavy sea states affect US Gaza maritime aid mission: CENTCOM

ADDS CENTCOM AID DELIVERY, EDITS IN BODY

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - Heavy sea states affected on Saturday four US Army vessels supporting the maritime humanitarian aid mission in the Gaza Strip, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said.

"The vessels broke free from their moorings and two vessels are now anchored on the beach near the pier. The third and fourth vessels are beached on the coast of Israel near Ashkelon," CENTCOM said in a statement.

Efforts to recover the vessels are under way with assistance from the Israeli Navy, it said, adding Israeli army supports the recovery efforts near the pier.

"No U.S. personnel will enter Gaza. No injuries have been reported and the pier remains fully functional. We will release additional details as they become available," it added.

On May 17, trucks carrying humanitarian assistance began moving ashore via a temporary pier constructed for aid delivery into the Gaza Strip.

CENTCOM said its personnel continue to team up with US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the UN to deliver aid to the people of Gaza via the pier affixed to the beach.

It said 1,005 metric tons of aid had been delivered to Gaza via the floating pier as of Thursday.

As much as 903 metric tons aid has distributed from the beach transfer point to the UN warehouse, the US army said.

US President Joe Biden ordered in March to establish a sea route to deliver food and other aid to Palestinians amid Israeli restrictions and months of conflict in the enclave.​​​​​​​