The US military's troubled mission to deliver desperately needed aid to Gaza via a temporary pier has ended, according to a senior American officer.
US President Joe Biden has expressed disappointment in the performance of the pier, which has repeatedly been detached from the shore because of bad weather since its initial installation in mid-May, limiting the time it has been operational.
"The maritime surge mission involving the pier is complete, so there's no more need to use the pier," Vice Admiral Brad Cooper said.
The pier was damaged by bad weather in May and had to be removed for repairs. It was then reattached on 7 June, but was moved to Ashdod on 14 June to protect it from anticipated high seas - a situation that was repeated later in the month.
Distribution of aid once it reaches land has also been a problem, with the United Nations World Food Programme suspending deliveries of assistance that arrived via the pier last month to assess the security situation after Israel conducted a military operation nearby.
President Biden announced the project during his State of the Union address in March as Israel held up deliveries of assistance by land, and the Department of Defense said the pier helped push the Israeli government to open more aid routes.
"The deployment of this pier has ... helped secure Israeli commitment to opening additional crossings into northern Gaza," Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said last week.
Gaza is suffering through a war that broke out after Hamas's unprecedented 7 October attack on Israel that resulted in the deaths of over 1,100 people, mostly civilians, according to a tally based on Israeli figures.
Almost 39,000 have died in Israel's retaliatory offensive in Gaza, also mostly civilians, figures from the territory's health ministry show.
