When this editor first heard President Joe Biden was going to order the U.S. military to build a pier in Gaza, he thought it was a bad idea. But then we were assured that there would be no "boots on the ground" in Gaza: the $320 million temporary pier would be built by U.S. troops floating offshore. The finished project would be pushed into place and even more humanitarian aid for find its way into Hamas' possession.
As we've said, the Biden administration can get things done when it really wants to. The pier was to be built within two months, and just this week, aid started to be trucked in over the pier, where it was promptly stolen.
What's up with Biden's pier today? We don't know, but we're getting all sorts of news reports. According to AFP, four U.S. Army vessels have run aground near the pier.
#BREAKING Four US Army vessels run aground near Gaza pier: CENTCOM pic.twitter.com/DmuFRVAHWG
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) May 25, 2024
The best AFP can report is:
Meanwhile the US military said four of its vessels, supporting a temporary pier built to deliver aid to Gaza by sea, had run aground in heavy seas.
"No US personnel will enter Gaza. No injuries have been reported and the pier remains fully functional," a statement from US Central Command.
So four Army vessels have run aground "near" Gaza pier? That's sounding more and more like boots on the ground.
Speaking of heavy seas, some bad weather seems to have taken part of the pier apart.
🇮🇱🇵🇸🚨‼️ GAZA: The American floating pier collapsed and drifted away due to bad weather.
— Lord Bebo (@MyLordBebo) May 25, 2024
Wow, good construction ... pic.twitter.com/4tGDb0hBZO
You can see US and Israeli military looking mesmerized at it. pic.twitter.com/oEze0RTBVH
— Lord Bebo (@MyLordBebo) May 25, 2024
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Didn't Biden promise there would be no US boots on the ground there? Because those look like US boots on the ground. https://t.co/d2a1sBZu2g
— Doug Powers (@ThePowersThatBe) May 25, 2024
Trey Yingst, foreign correspondent for Fox News, is on the ground and seems to give the best description of what we're seeing in the videos embedded above:
A U.S. army landing craft along with a piece of the floating Gaza pier are currently stuck on an Israeli beach. pic.twitter.com/ytUnuFLFgw
— Trey Yingst (@TreyYingst) May 25, 2024
This entire operation is embarrassing and a complete fiasco.
— the_protagonist (@theoriginalpro9) May 25, 2024
Things seem to going great
— Jim Muessig (@JimMuessig) May 25, 2024
I lose Sleep over this engineering
— Ina Vee Richards (@InaVeeRichards) May 25, 2024
A+ operations at the Gaza Pier of Pandering
— Jim Hanson (@JimHansonDC) May 25, 2024
Parts of it falling apart and washing up on the beach
Is this how those three troops got hurt?
But
At least some of the aid got unloaded & straight into the hands of Hamas pic.twitter.com/IRjKecKf2E
What's this? Troops got hurt, one critically? According to the New York Post, this happened just a couple days ago.
US service member critically injured, 2 other troops hurt at Gaza aid pier: report https://t.co/NAowTKE0cE pic.twitter.com/p8154aXLpH
— New York Post (@nypost) May 23, 2024
"Three US service members were injured, one critically, while working on the Army’s Gaza aid pier on Thursday," reports the Post.
The controversial floating pier was announced by President Biden in March to facilitate humanitarian aid to millions in the Gaza strip during Israel’s ongoing military offensive in the enclave.
It’s estimated to cost about $320 million for its first 90 days after opening last Thursday and will be operated by about 1,000 US service members — who Biden assured would not enter Gaza itself.
What a waste. Even in a workplace accident, not an attack, there’s no reason for our sons and daughters to be putting themselves out there in aid of Hamas.
— Amygator 🐊 *not an actual alligator (@AmyA1A) May 23, 2024
But Biden really needs to shake off that "Genocide Joe" label if he wants those sweet Gen Z votes.
Here's President Biden just after the pier became operational:
Earlier today, the first shipments of humanitarian assistance arrived on the shores of Gaza through the multinational humanitarian pier thanks to the tireless work of @CENTCOM and our teams at @USAID and @StateDept. pic.twitter.com/7jWM2B7rfy
— President Biden (@POTUS) May 17, 2024
Those floating piers are designed for temporary use in good weather. This was inevitable and one of the reasons this was a dumb idea in the first place.
— Random Guy (@randomguyXVII) May 25, 2024
No way we spent hundreds of millions on this. This can’t be true
— Jason Barnes (@operative007) May 25, 2024
So glad we spent all that money on this.
— The Jaded Kitsune (@KitsuneJaded) May 25, 2024
Another Biden disaster, at least the aid is being immediately seized by Hamas profiteers as it's offloaded from the pier.
— Keez Nuts (@KeezNuts) May 23, 2024
We shouldn’t even be anywhere near Gaza.
— Max (@CleverMaxName) May 23, 2024
— SixPoundLine (@PeaGravelNed) May 23, 2024
We're hearing a lot of things, but we're going with Yingst, who's on the ground there and says a U.S. vessel and a piece of the floating pier are stuck on the beach.
In any case, it was a stupid idea to put U.S. troops in a warzone.
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