A U.S. soldier was critically injured during a humanitarian aid mission off the coast of Gaza on May 23, 2024, and two other service members were hurt in non-combat related incidents at sea (Fact 1). The soldier was working on a staging platform two miles off the coast where trucks filled with aid packages are driven from cargo ships onto Army watercraft. The pier has been in operation since last week, providing aid to Gaza and delivering over a million pounds of aid so far (Fact 2).
The U.S. military's Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore (JLOTS) capability was used to build the pier, which involves sailors and soldiers constructing a floating pier that can be stabbed into the beach, allowing trucks or tanks to roll off after ships bring them from the staging area to the pier. The mission includes around 1000 personnel and 16 ships, including two U.S. Navy destroyers for protection (Fact 3).
The Israeli Defense Forces are responsible for security at the pier, with a brigade of troops and various air and naval assets present (Fact 4). The mission was temporarily halted over the weekend due to overrun aid trucks, resulting in at least one death (Fact 5).
Three U.S. service members have been injured during the mission, with one requiring medical evacuation to an Israeli hospital in critical condition (Facts 6 and 7). The nature of their injuries is not specified.
The humanitarian aid mission was announced by President Biden in his State of the Union address as a way to provide food and other essentials to Gazans caught between the Israeli military and Palestinian militant group Hamas. It involves no U.S. troops on the ground in Gaza (Fact 8).
The pier mission has faced challenges, including looting of aid trucks and disruptions at border crossings, which have slowed distribution of aid to Palestinians in need (Fact 9).