High winds temporarily halt Gaza pier construction

May 3 (UPI) -- U.S. Central Command on Thursday temporarily paused construction of the pier in Gaza due to unsafe weather conditions.

CENTCOM, in a release Friday, said construction of the partially built pier has moved to the Port of Ashdod in Israel after high winds and sea swells made for unsafe working conditions in the Mediterranean.

U.S. troops have been constructing the temporary pier offshore to avoid the fighting in Gaza. Once complete, troops will install the pier in its intended location.

President Joe Biden in March pledged to send U.S. forces to build a temporary pier that would be used to send humanitarian aid via a maritime route from Cyprus to Gaza.

The United States has since deployed four Army vessels with the 7th Transportation Brigade and one ship with the U.S. Ready Reserve Fleet to construct the pier, with the anticipation that it would be operational within 60 days of Biden's announcement.

About 1,000 U.S. troops are participating in the mission.

The decision to send aid through a maritime route is a response to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu 's prohibition on the import of humanitarian aid via land routes.

Biden last month was able to secure the opening of the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt. That and the Kerem Shalom border crossing between Israel and southern Gaza are the two main entries into the war-torn region by truck.

United Nations officials, however, warned the limited number of aid trucks entering Gaza is not enough to stave off an impending famine caused by the fighting.

In the meantime, the Gaza pier will enable the United States and allies to import large quantities of humanitarian aid from ship to shore, with vehicles driving directly off ships to the marshaling yard on shore, according to CENTCOM.

Construction of the pier is part of the U.S. military's Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore capability, which Army officials have said allows ship-to-shore cargo distribution where a usable pier is not available.