Currently Online 
90 aid trucks loaded at temporary pier
We have confirmation of about 90 trucks filled with humanitarian aid were loaded at the temporary pier at Gaza City’s shore yesterday.
Those trucks made their way to UNRWA warehouses inside Deir el-Balah. Priority will be given to evacuation centres in central Gaza, including Deir el-Balah, Khan Younis, al-Mawasi evacuation zone, and hospitals that are still operational.
Reaching hospitals in Rafah will require high-level coordination, as Israel’s military continues to pound the city.
The aid delivery has been perceived as an important step, likely to relieve some of the widespread suffering. However, it should not be a replacement for all the land crossings … which are more equipped and more efficient.
Ninety trucks a day is not nearly enough to feed and respond to the needs of displaced Palestinians.
Gaza aid pier ‘isn’t a substitute’ for land routes, says ICRC
The newly operational dock on Gaza’s coast provides a valuable alternative route for aid, but reopening land routes remains vital to meet humanitarian needs in the Palestinian enclave, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said.
“Efforts to create a sea corridor will help mitigate the severity of the conflict on people. However, it isn’t a substitute for the land transportation, [which is] the most efficient and reliable way,” said Hisham Muhanna, ICRC spokesman.
Officials announced that the US-built pier was anchored on Thursday, with President Biden announcing that the first humanitarian shipments passed through on Friday. Biden added that the dock would be used to deliver “170 metric tonnes of nutrient-rich food bars” to support 11,000 people.
Reliance on floating pier a sign of failed US diplomacy
This floating pier is really about the lack of options that the Americans have when it comes to putting pressure on Israel. It is the most visible example of the failure of US diplomacy when it comes to Israel and humanitarian aid.
Before October 7, trade, not aid, was coming into Gaza at about 500 to 600 trucks per day. We’re not getting anywhere close to that. This floating pier might be able to get something like 90.
As the Americans admitted, it isn’t enough, but it’s the only thing they can do. The aid agencies have put their hands up, saying there are several land crossings we can get aid into Gaza very easily. The Israelis simply don’t want that to happen.
Ships are seen near a temporary floating pier built to receive humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip in Gaza Beach, in this handout picture
That cost 320 million to build??
