Temporary aid pier off Gaza to be operational in May: Pentagon

WASHINGTON

A temporary pier being constructed off Gaza’s coast for delivering humanitarian aid will be operational in May, a Pentagon spokesperson said Monday.

"We're scheduled on track to meet our goal of early May," Sabrina Singh told reporters.

The Pentagon announced on March 8 that it would undertake an emergency mission to establish a temporary pier on the Gazan coast to deliver up to 2 million humanitarian aid meals per day.

The mission includes a floating pier -- an 1,800-foot-long causeway that will be attached to the shore and a group of logistic support vessels

On April 25, the Pentagon announced that US military vessels had begun to construct the initial stages of the temporary pier and causeway at sea.

"Right now, you're seeing construction of that floating, temporary pier, and then you'll start to see construction of the causeway," Singh said.

Asked about the estimated cost of the pier, she said: "That’s about our rough estimate right now, approximately $320 million."