Over 500 metric tons of aid delivered to Gaza through pier since Friday, officials say
U.S. officials shared an update Thursday on efforts to bring aid into Gaza through the Army's Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore (JLOTS) system, a floating pier built to transport aid to the region.
Since Friday, over 506 metric tons of aid have been transported via the pier, according to officials.
Officials from U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) held an audio-only briefing with reporters on continued aid efforts.
"Since the first shipments of this aid arrived through the humanitarian maritime corridor on Friday, the UN has been distributing more than 506 metric tons of humanitarian supplies to people in need," Daniel Dieckhaus, Director for USAID’s Levant Response Management Team, said Thursday.
"To put it into perspective, more than two thirds of the supplies entering through this new corridor have already been distributed, or are in the process of being distributed by humanitarian partners directly to people in need," he added.
Humanitarian aid has also been delivered through land-crossing distribution via 70 trucks that crossed the border into Gaza, according to Dieckhaus.
Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, deputy commander of CENTCOM, noted that, "In the last several days, we've delivered over a million pounds of aid into the hands of Palestinians," adding, "We can all feel good about that."