A week after U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin declared that he saw no indication that Hamas plans to attack U.S. troops building the floating pier, Hamas terrorists opened fire on the pier.
The attack happened on Wednesday morning and afternoon when the terrorists launched missiles toward the area where the Americans are currently building the pier.
Although no casualties were recorded, the attack has been tagged as an attempt by Hamas to stop humanitarian aid from entering Gaza. According to the Israeli Defense Force (IDF), the attack took place while the United Nations officials were touring the area.
During the attack, the UN officials entered protected spaces following instructions from the IDF soldiers in the area.
“The terrorist organizations continue to systematically harm humanitarian efforts while risking the lives of UN workers, while Israel allows the supply of aid to the residents of the Gaza Strip,” the IDF said in a statement following the attack.
Biden: Halting a shipment to take out a common enemy. Forcing the IDF to have to use “dummy bombs” instead of precision strikes causing more civilian casualties.
Also Biden: Spending tons of money on a floating pier that is being attacked by the people you made it for. https://t.co/ZTRjpaGSTS
— Dan Doing That Life Thing (@The1Daniel) May 8, 2024
According to the Times of Israel, a Hamas official revealed to the press that the terrorist group will continue to prevent any foreign military presence involved with the port project.
The pier was constructed to increase the transportation of essential aid to Gaza, which is desperately needed due to the destruction caused by the Israel-Hamas war. The pier is located southwest of Gaza, north of the Israeli Military Road.
On Wednesday, a Pentagon official revealed that the pier’s construction is complete but had yet to be moved into position.
“As of today, the construction of the two portions of the Joint Logistics Over-the Shore (JLOTS)- the floating pier and the trident pier are complete and awaiting final movement offshore,” the official said.
On Thursday, White House National Security Spokesman John Kirby said the pier should be open within days despite poor weather conditions.
“There are still forecasted high winds and high sea swells, which are causing unsafe conditions for the JLOTS components to be moved,” Kirby said.
On March 7, President Joe Biden announced plans for the pier in his State of The Union Speech. According to the president, a temporary pier will enable a massive increase in humanitarian assistance getting into Gaza.
