Two US soldiers injured in industrial accident at Gaza Aid Pier

Two US soldiers suffered minor injuries in an industrial accident near the makeshift floating pier in Gaza on Thursday.

The soldiers were immediately evacuated via the port of Ashdod to an Israeli hospital for treatment.

This incident occurred in the context of extensive humanitarian operations conducted by the IDF in cooperation with COGAT, the Israeli Navy and the US to deliver aid to Gaza. The US has constructed a temporary floating pier to streamline the delivery of humanitarian aid.

On Wednesday, 27 trucks carrying 371 pallets of humanitarian aid, including food and shelter equipment, were delivered to international aid agencies’ logistics centers in Gaza. In addition, humanitarian aid trucks continue to enter the Gaza Strip through the Kerem Shalom and Erez West border crossings.

A total of 281 trucks, including 50 carrying flour for the World Food Programme (WFP) and 45 Jordanian aid trucks, were checked and passed through these border crossings.

To ensure the safety of the floating pier, the U.S. Navy has installed a missile, artillery and mortar defense system (C-RAM) and an M-LIDS drone defense system. Equipped with advanced radar and sensors, the C-RAM system can detect and neutralize incoming threats from missiles, mortar shells and artillery fire.

The pier is connected to the Gaza Strip coastline via a causeway and allows humanitarian supplies to be unloaded to a designated “marshalling yard” in the Netzarim Corridor. From there, contractors from USAID, UNRWA, the United Nations World Food Program and other organizations distribute aid throughout the Gaza Strip.

However, ongoing looting by Hamas and allied gangs has hampered the delivery of aid to its intended destinations.

In a statement to Politico, the U.S. Department of Defense confirmed the brief test firing of the pier’s defense systems on May 17 to ensure functionality. The tests, which were conducted at sea, posed no threat to life or property.

The pier has been attacked several times by Hamas terrorists with mortar shell fire and explosive suicide drones.