US relocates Gaza pier construction due to bad weather

US forces have moved construction of a temporary pier for Gaza aid deliveries from an offshore area to the Israeli port of Ashdod due to high seas and winds, the military said Friday.

The Pentagon announced the start of construction of the pier -- which will cost at least $320 million -- on April 25, and said earlier this week that it was more than 50 percent complete.

"Yesterday, US Central Command (CENTCOM) temporarily paused offshore assembly of the floating pier in the vicinity of Gaza due to sea state considerations," the military command said in a statement.

"Forecasted high winds and high sea swells caused unsafe conditions for Soldiers working on the surface of the partially constructed pier," it said.

"The partially built pier and military vessels involved in its construction have moved to the Port of Ashdod, where assembly will continue, and will be completed prior to the emplacement of the pier in its intended location when sea states subside."

Plans for the pier were first announced by US President Joe Biden in early March as Israel held up deliveries of assistance by ground.

The humanitarian situation in Gaza -- which has been devastated by more than six months of Israeli operations against Hamas -- remains dire, with a senior US administration official saying last week that the territory's entire population of 2.2 million people is facing food insecurity.

Hamas's October 7 attack on southern Israel that triggered the war resulted in the deaths of more than 1,170 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.

Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed more than 34,600 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry.