US military aid ships no longer docked near Gaza floating pier

Four US military ships supporting the floating jetty humanitarian mission in Gaza were undocked by rough seas, military officials said.

Two ships are now anchored on a beach in Gaza, near the pier, the US Central Command said in a statement on Saturday. The other two are stranded further north, on the Israeli coast, near Ashkelon.

Israeli forces are participating in reconstruction efforts near the pier and no U.S. personnel will enter Gaza, CENTCOM said. No injuries were reported and the pier remains fully functional, according to the release.

A tugboat and a mechanized landing craft (LCM) have run aground in Israel, a U.S. official confirmed to NPR. LCMs are transport vehicles and were notably used during the Second World War for amphibious landings of troops and tanks.

This comes just days after a US service member was hospitalized with a serious injury sustained during the Gaza aid dock operation. Two other soldiers were slightly injured. None of the injuries were due to combat.

The temporary pier, located just north of Rafah, was recently erected by U.S. troops to increase the delivery of food and other supplies to starving Palestinians as Israel's war against Hamas continues. Closures and restrictions imposed by Israel on land crossings into Gaza have limited the flow of aid to the population.

NPR's Tom Bowman contributed to this report.

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