US aid ships face trouble in Gaza due to heavy seas
As Joe Biden boasted about US aid efforts in Gaza during his West Point military academy commencement speech, saying that the US army and navy has built a temporary pier in the Mediterranean “in record time” to deliver aid to Palestinians, efforts on the ground tell a different story.
On Saturday, US Centcom announced that four US army vessels were affected by “heavy sea states”:
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. Efforts to recover the vessels are under way with assistance from the Israeli navy.
No US personnel will enter Gaza and no injuries have been reported. The pier remains fully functional, US Centcom added, saying that it will release additional updates as they come.