Journalists get a rare glimpse into the US military’s troubled dock system in Gaza

Off the coast of Gaza – wooden pallets stand idle in the blazing sun – as packages of rice, flour and other basic necessities lie unused as Palestinians face looming famine.

The materials were delivered to the bombed Gaza coast via an American dock system. But for more than two weeks, the aid has remained on the beach because fighting between Israel and Hamas has made it too dangerous for the UN groups delivering it.

NBC News was among a group of journalists granted sidewalk access for the first time. These are narrow places and difficult conditions for the forces working in them. Even light waves swirl around service members as saw-like pieces of pier collide with each other, creating a loud noise.

President Joe Biden announced the fixed dock and floating dock system in his State of the Union address in early March. Completed in mid-May, the system was a key part of an improvised effort to feed hungry residents of Gaza, where Israeli military offensives have intermittently closed crossings vital to supplies of food, fuel and other aid.

But since its completion, it has faced bad weather and rough seas, forcing repairs and delaying aid deliveries. The pier was only operational for one week before high winds and huge waves broke much of the bridge on May 25.

“There are constant challenges, and those challenges can run the gamut,” Army said. Colonel Samuel Miller.

The US military has delivered aid through the $220 million dock system on just 17 of the past 40 days. That amounts to nearly 14 million pounds of food, but the vast majority never left the beach, officials said.

For Palestinians like Asila’s family of 25, food remains scarce.

Safia Hamdan Asila said: “We live in a tent and eat canned food, and our children stand in lines to get water. Aid is not always available.”

Even when seas are calm, moving aid from the water to land presents a logistical challenge. In neighboring Cyprus, supplies are loaded onto US military ships and transported to a floating dock off the coast. They are then transported to the fixed dock, where they are placed on trucks and transported across a US-built bridge to the beach.

Even when aid trucks are able to pick up food parcels, they sometimes encounter problems. Some aid has failed to reach its intended destinations, with civilians in desperate need of food breaking into trucks and looting them.

While Gaza remains an active combat zone, the pier was not targeted.

“We learned a lot from this mission,” Miller said. “This has never happened before. We’re up against a combat zone, technically in a combat zone.”

He added: “The soldiers are proud of their action.” “They feel like they have purpose and meaning here on the water, transporting humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza.”

Army Sgt. Ibrahim Barry is among 1,100 soldiers participating in the effort. He said he gets personal satisfaction from being part of an effort to feed people in crisis, especially during Ramadan.

“Being able to provide this aid definitely helps me and gives me the feeling that I am helping those in need,” said Barry, who is Muslim.

It is still unclear how long the dock can operate in Gaza, but it will likely be dismantled in the next month or so, according to US officials.

There are potential options to replace it.

The United States is working on plans to deliver humanitarian aid through the Israeli port of Ashdod. Fogbow, a private company made up of retired US military personnel and UN officials, says it can replace the temporary dock system with a more stable and reliable system within a few weeks.

Fogbo’s plan, called Blue Beach, relies on a mobile dock in Gaza, equipped with a crane to lift aid directly to shore, eliminating the need for trucks.

“The sea corridor is a vital component of alleviating suffering,” said Mick Mulroy, vice president of Fogbo. “While it is certain that aid can arrive via Ashdod and then be trucked to Gaza, doing so presents additional challenges, as we have already seen. This route underscores the need for continued access to multiple land and sea channels.

Once up and running, Blue Beach can deliver up to 9,000 pallets of aid per week. The plan will be funded by donations, mostly from the Maritime Humanitarian Aid Foundation, run by Cameron Hume, a former US ambassador to several countries.

White House officials and members of the Israeli government were briefed on the plan, but officials said they had not made any plans to use it.