The United Nations World Food Programme on Friday distributed food aid delivered ashore by a U.S. military wharf system to Gaza residents for the first time since June 9, two U.S. officials said.
The U.S. military continues to deliver aid to Gaza's shores through floating docks and temporary piers known as the JLOTS system, but the supplies have been stuck there for weeks after the United Nations suspended distribution due to security concerns.
Officials say an estimated 15 million pounds of relief supplies currently remain on shore, awaiting transfer to nearby warehouses.
“The situation here is complicated and more severe than I've seen,” said Doug Strops, humanitarian director for the U.S. Agency for International Development. “There's a big problem right now with trucks being looted.”
Friday's distribution followed a successful test run, U.S. officials said, and the U.S. military was monitoring the movement of the supplies to ensure their security.
“There was a plan, then there was a test, and the test was successful,” the U.S. official said. U.S. officials said they expected aid distribution could continue, but would monitor the situation day by day.
NBC News reported Thursday that senior UN officials, Israeli officials and U.S. military commanders met Wednesday night at an Israeli military base near Ashdod to discuss resuming aid distribution.
The JLOTS system itself was taken offline on Friday and was towed to the Israeli port of Ashdod after rough seas damaged a temporary pier.
NBC News also reported Thursday that the system will likely be shut down this weekend due to rising sea levels, marking the fourth time it has been shut down due to weather concerns or damaged piers since it began operating on May 17.
U.S. officials are considering alternative routes for delivering aid, two defense officials said, with future deliveries potentially going through a fixed pier in Ashdod, about 20 miles upriver from Gaza's northern border, rather than through the JLOTS system.
If the new route is approved, the aid will be sent to Cyprus where it will be scanned by Cypriot and Israeli officials, the defense official said. The scanning will be done with the help of a U.S. military T25 scanner. Once inspected and tested, officials will spray paint each pallet and load it onto a U.S. military vessel for transport to Ashdod. The aid will then be immediately taken to the checkpoint into the Gaza Strip without further inspection.
