U.S. officials have revealed that the American military is considering dismantling the floating dock established off the coast of the Gaza Strip and relocating it to Israel. According to American media reports, this consideration arises amid concerns that the dock may sustain damage once again due to strong waves, just days after resuming its operations for delivering humanitarian aid.
Officials indicated that the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean is expected to worsen with the onset of fall and winter, raising questions about the floating dock's ability to withstand such conditions. They added that operations of the World Food Programme in distributing humanitarian aid have stopped for several days, resulting in shipments piling up off the coast.
It is noteworthy that this would mark the second time within a few weeks that the dock would be transferred to the Israeli port of Ashdod if it is dismantled. Earlier, the U.S. military announced that the dock, constructed to facilitate sea deliveries of aid, was temporarily removed after a portion of it collapsed, less than two weeks into its operation. At that time, the Pentagon stated that the dock would be pulled to the Ashdod port in Israel for repairs.
Additionally, President Joe Biden had announced in March the establishment of this port as part of international efforts to overcome the restrictions imposed by Israel on the land entry of assistance into the Gaza Strip.
