WASHINGTON (AP) — The head of the U.N. World Food Program said Sunday that the organization had “paused” distribution of humanitarian aid from a U.S.-built pier off the coast of the Gaza Strip, citing “concerns for people’s safety” after one of the deadliest days of the war in the territory.
An Israeli military strike on Saturday freed four hostages but killed 274 Palestinians and one Israeli special forces officer, and Senator Cindy McCain said two WFP warehouses in Gaza had come under “rocket fire,” wounding one staff member.
The UN’s announcement on Sunday to halt the shipments was seen as the latest setback for a U.S. sea route set up to deliver more aid to starving people in Gaza.
The suspension was to allow safety checks by humanitarian groups in the Gaza Strip, according to the US Agency for International Development, which works with the World Food Programme and humanitarian partners in the Gaza Strip to distribute food and other aid sent from a US-run dock.
The US military wharf was completed in mid-May and was operational for just over a week before storm damage took it out of service for two weeks. After repairs, it reopened on Saturday, bringing in 1.1 million pounds (492 metric tons) of food and other aid, but Secretary McCain announced that humanitarian operations at the wharf were temporarily halted.
The UN agency declined to provide further details, such as how long the pause would last. A WFP spokesman did not respond to a request for more details.
When asked about the pier construction during an appearance on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” McCain said, “Construction is currently paused.”
“I am concerned about the safety of our employees following what happened yesterday,” McCain said, without elaborating. “Also, two of our warehouses, our warehouse complex, were attacked by rockets yesterday.”
“We’re taking a step back for now,” she said. “We want to make sure we’re in safe conditions and a safe position before we reopen. But other parts of the country are up and running. We’re doing all we can in the north and south.”
In a statement to The Associated Press, USAID said it was working with other U.S. government officials and humanitarian organizations in the Gaza Strip “to ensure that assistance can resume safely and effectively once ongoing security checks by humanitarian organizations are completed.”
President Joe Biden announced in his State of the Union address in March that he had ordered U.S. forces to set up the temporary pier. The U.S. project was intended to deliver limited aid to the Gaza Strip, where Israeli restrictions on land access and fighting have pushed more than 1 million of the territory’s 2.3 million residents to the brink of starvation.
The reopening of the U.S. pier project on Saturday came the same day that Israel launched heavy air and ground attacks to rescue four hostages held by Hamas in the Oct. 7 attack that sparked the Gaza war.
US Central Command refuted social media claims after the Israeli military operation, saying in a tweet on Saturday that neither the pier nor its equipment, personnel or other assets were used in the Israeli operation. It also noted that Israel had used the area south of the pier “for the safe return of hostages.”
A core principle of humanitarian organizations is that their operations must be independent of combatant operations in conflict zones, lest aid efforts and aid workers become targets.
In a separate statement on Saturday, USAID said no humanitarian workers were involved in the Israeli operation.
Mr McCain said Sunday there had been a “rocket attack” on a WFP warehouse, injuring one staff member but “everyone else is safe”.
“That’s why we need a ceasefire, that’s why we need to stop this” so that aid from her program and other organizations can flow into Gaza “on a massive scale.”
—
Sarah Barnett contributed.
