4 US military ships stranded near Gaza pier

Four US military ships supporting the temporary dock built to deliver aid to Gaza have run aground in rough seas and Israel is assisting in reconstruction efforts, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Saturday.

“The ships have broken away from their moorings and two ships are now anchored on the beach near the jetty. The third and fourth ships are stranded on the Israeli coast, near Ashkelon,” the statement said.

“No American personnel will enter Gaza. No injuries have been reported and the pier remains fully functional,” the statement continued, adding that the Israeli Navy is assisting in recovering the vessels.

Gaza is suffering from the bloodiest war in its history, which erupted after the unprecedented Hamas attack on October 7 that left more than 1,170 people dead, most of them civilians, according to a tally by Agence France- Press based on official Israeli figures.

Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed at least 35,800 people in Gaza, most of them women and children, according to the Hamas-controlled territory's health ministry.

Israel imposed a siege on Gaza that deprived the territory's 2.4 million residents of most drinking water, food, medicine and fuel.

US President Joe Biden said in March that the pier would be built to ease Israel's restrictions on land deliveries to Gaza.

The UN World Food Program “has taken possession of 97 trucks since the floating dock came into service” on May 17, Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for UN chief Antonio Guterres, told reporters on Friday.

During the first days of deliveries, desperate people fled with the contents of some trucks towards warehouses, but the situation has now stabilized, he said.