U.S. Military’s 90-Day Temporary Pier In Gaza To Cost A Whopping $320 Million
A US defence official and a source aware of the matter informed Reuters that the US military’s estimate to build a pier off Gaza to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid has reportedly gone up to $320 million.
The sum, which hasn’t been previously reported, illustrates the massive scale of the Pentagon’s construction effort involving approximately 1,000 US service members, mainly of the Navy and Army.
Still, according to a person familiar with the matter, the cost has approximately doubled from the initial estimates received earlier in the year.
The cost has not just risen. Senator Roger Wicke, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, told Reuters that it has exploded.
Such a dangerous endeavour with marginal benefit will cost American taxpayers over $320 million to operate the pier for just 90 days.
Joe Biden, the President, declared the pier in March as the relevant aid officials implored Israel to ease access to relief supplies overland routes into Gaza.
By opening up a second pathway for aid, this one by sea, the officials associated with the Biden administration hope to stop famine in northern Gaza.
The Israeli military campaign against Hamas, as a response to the Hamas’ attack on 7 October on Israel, has completely devastated the Gaza Strip and plunged 2.3 million individuals into a humanitarian disaster.
Yet, Wicker, as well as some other lawmakers, have asked if the pier is a beneficial endeavour, especially given the risk that the US military personnel might be the targets of the Hamas militants.
Wicker raised the crucial question about how much the taxpayers will be on the hook once — or if — the pier is eventually constructed.
For each day this mission continues, the price goes up along with the level of risk for the 1,000 individuals deployed within the range of Hamas’ rockets.
Concerns regarding the risk to the US troops being caught up in the ongoing war on Hamas were underscored on 15 April as the news arose of a mortar attack close to the area where the pier will touch the ground.
No US forces were there, however, and they were miles off the shore — beyond the mortar range. Biden has asked the US forces not to step foot on the Gaza shore.
Initially, the pier will handle 90 trucks per day, but when it is operational, the number can be raised to 150 trucks per day.
Last week, the UN said that the average daily number of trucks entering Gaza in April was 200, with a peak on Monday of 316.
A senior Biden administration official mentioned last week that the aid coming off the pier will have to pass via Israel’s checkpoints.
That is even after the aid has been examined in Cyprus by Israel before getting shipped to Gaza.
Israel is trying to prevent the aid from reaching the Hamas fighters, which boosts their war efforts.
The prospect of checkpoints raises pertinent questions about the possible delays even after the aid has reached the shore.
The UN has long complained about the obstacles to fetching aid and distributing it in Gaza.
The UN has also appealed for a whopping $2.5 billion to try to satisfy the most urgent needs of those who live in the Gaza Strip between April and December.
Reference: Reuters
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