The Pentagon on Monday released new photos offering the first close-up look at the construction of a new dock that will carry aid to Gaza, in a project with escalating costs already being considered in Congress.
US Central Command blast out images of the project under the title ‘Construction of the pier begins’.
He highlighted the construction of what the military calls a ‘JLOTS floating dock in the Mediterranean’ to try to address massive disruptions to normal aid delivery amid Israel’s tough campaign against Hamas in Gaza.
Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh told reporters that the cost had risen to $320 million, about double a previous estimate. She said it was a rough estimate that includes the transportation of huge sections of the dock, plus construction operations and aid delivery.
US Central Command released the first images of the pier under construction to allow vital humanitarian aid into Gaza.
The progress can be seen on satellite images of the port where the Israel Defense Forces are building the port, with US Navy ships nearby.
But Republicans in Congress are already criticizing the project as a potential target for attacks.
The Pentagon About 1,000 U.S. service members, mostly from the Army and Navy, are participating, he said. Reuters first reported the new estimate of $320 million, about double of initial estimates earlier this year, according to a person familiar with the matter.
‘The cost has not only increased. It has exploded,” Senator Roger Wicker, the top Republican on the Democratic-led Senate Armed Services Committee, told Reuters when asked about the costs.
“How much will taxpayers pay once, or if, the pier is finally built?” -Wicker asked.
“For every day this mission continues, the price increases and so does the level of risk for the 1,000 soldiers deployed within range of Hamas’ rockets.”
The US-led effort also involves the Israel Defense Forces.
The administration has pressured Israel to allow more humanitarian aid deliveries amid Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.
US Navy and IDF engineers are involved. This satellite photo from Planet Labs PBC shows the USNS Roy P. Benavidez in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of the Gaza Strip on Saturday, April 27, 2024.
“This dangerous endeavor with marginal benefits will now cost American taxpayers at least $320 million to operate the pier for just 90 days.”
A satellite image Sunday from Planet Labs PBC showed pieces of the floating dock in the Mediterranean Sea alongside the USNS Roy P. Benavidez.
President Joe Biden announced the dock in March as aid officials implored Israel to make it easier for aid supplies to access Gaza via land routes. By opening a second aid route, this one by sea, Biden administration officials hope to prevent famine in northern Gaza.
Israel’s military campaign against Hamas, in response to Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, has devastated the small Gaza Strip and plunged its 2.3 million inhabitants into a humanitarian catastrophe.
Still, Wicker and some other lawmakers have questioned whether the pier is a worthwhile endeavor, particularly given the risk that American military personnel could become targets of Hamas militants.
Concerns about the threat of US troops being caught up in the war between Israel and Hamas were underscored Thursday when news emerged of a mortar attack near the area where the pier will eventually make landfall. However, there were no American forces present and they were miles from the coast, beyond mortar range.
Biden has ordered US forces not to set foot on the Gaza coast.
Initially, the dock will handle 90 trucks per day, but that number could increase to 150 trucks per day when it is fully operational. The United Nations said last week that the average daily number of trucks entering Gaza during April was 200, with a peak of 316 on Monday.
A senior Biden administration official said last week that humanitarian aid leaving the dock will have to pass through Israeli checkpoints on land.
This despite the fact that Israel had already inspected the aid in Cyprus before sending it to Gaza. Israel wants to prevent any aid from reaching Hamas fighters to boost their war effort.
The prospect of checkpoints raises questions about possible delays even after aid reaches land. The United Nations has long complained about obstacles in getting aid to and distributing it throughout Gaza.
The United Nations has requested $2.5 billion to try to meet the most urgent needs of people living in the Gaza Strip between April and December.
Construction continues even as the United States is using diplomatic channels to try to pressure Hamas into reaching a ceasefire agreement that, if successful, could allow other methods of bringing in desperately needed humanitarian aid.