Staff Reports
The Pentagon’s Pat Ryder addressed concerns about the usefulness of the temporary humanitarian pier built by the U.S. in Gaza, which cost taxpayers over $300 million. He admitted that, so far, none of the aid delivered through the pier has reached the intended recipients in Gaza. Ryder also explained that over 569 metric tons of humanitarian assistance from various countries had been delivered to the temporary pier and were supposed to be brought ashore and distributed to Gaza’s residents.
FAILURE: Pentagon Does 'Not Believe' Aid to Temporary Pier Is Reaching Residents of Gaza.https://t.co/g2z0YN4JMh
— @amuse (@amuse) May 21, 2024
Ryder emphasized that the pier is a temporary solution, as the U.S. and its partners work to provide humanitarian aid to Gaza. However, he admitted that there have been issues with the aid making its way from the staging area at the land-end of the bridge to the residents of Gaza. Additionally, there were safety and security concerns for aid distributors, with multiple aid trucks being accosted by Gazans along their routes.
Despite initial plans for 90 trucks of aid to move ashore each day, only 26 trucks had been brought ashore since Friday. Ryder explained that the operation in a combat zone is complex and that they were taking a gradual approach. When asked about how much aid had reached those in need inside Gaza, Ryder referred the questions to USAID and the World Food Programme, stating that NGOs had begun to store some of the aid for onward distribution.
When pressed to confirm if any of the 569 metric tons of aid had reached the intended recipients, Ryder admitted that as of that day, he did not believe so.
