UN halts Rafah aid distribution, warns of potential US pier failure

The UN World Food Program (WFP) said on Tuesday (May 21) the newly built $320 million pier project for delivering aid to Gaza may fail unless Israel starts ensuring the conditions the humanitarian groups need to operate safely.

The operation was paused for at least two days after crowds looted aid trucks arriving from the port, resulting in the death of one Palestinian man.

Deliveries were stopped on Sunday and Monday (May 19-20) after the majority of the trucks in an aid convoy were stripped of all their goods on the way to a warehouse in Gaza, the WFP said.

The Pentagon announced that aid movement from the secured port area resumed on Tuesday (May 21), but the UN reported that it was unaware of any deliveries that day.

Only five of the 16 aid trucks that left the secured area on Saturday (May 18) arrived at the warehouse with their cargo intact, WFP spokespersonSteve Taravella told The Associated Press news agency.

“Without sufficient supplies entering Gaza, these issues will continue to surface,” Taravella said in an email.

“We have raised this issue with the relevant parties and reiterate our request for alternative roads to facilitate aid delivery. Unless we receive the necessary clearance and coordination to use additional routes, this operation may not be successful.”

The WFP also said on Tuesday (May 21) it has suspended food distribution in the southern Gaza city of Rafah due to a lack of supplies and insecurity.

President Joe Biden had ordered the US military to build the floating pier for deliveries of food and other vital supplies.

Israeli restrictions on shipments through land borders and ongoing fighting have caused a severe food crisis for all 2.3 million residents of Gaza since the Israel-Hamas war began in October.

US and UN officials reported that famine has gripped northern Gaza.

According to a UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric, the aid convoys do not travel with armed security. He said security comes from engagement with various community groups and humanitarian partners.

The Pentagon press secretary, Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, said as of Tuesday 569 metric tonnes of aid has been delivered to the secured area at the Gaza port. Some aid remains at the port because distribution agencies are seeking alternative routes to transport it to warehouses in Gaza.

When asked if any aid from the pier had yet reached Gaza residents in need, Ryder said, “I do not believe so.”

The war began in October 2023after a Hamas-led attack killed about 1,200 people in Israel. Israeli airstrikes and fighting have killed more than 35,000 Palestinians since then.

As per the UN, since May 10, only about three dozen trucks have made it into Gaza via the nearby Kerem Shalom crossing from Israel because fighting makes it difficult for aid workers to reach it.

(With inputs from agencies)