U.S. completes construction of Gaza aid pier
A handout photo courtesy of the US Central Command (CENTCOM) taken on April 26, 2024, shows construction work on the floating JLOTS pier in the Mediterranean Sea

WASHINGTON — The U.S. military has completed construction of its Gaza aid pier, but weather conditions mean it is currently unsafe to move the two-part facility into place, the Pentagon said on Tuesday.

The pier -- which the U.S. military started building last month and which will cost at least $320 million -- is aimed at boosting deliveries of desperately needed humanitarian assistance to Gaza, which has been ravaged by seven months of Israeli operations against Hamas.