The ‘stop-start’ US temporary pier off the coast of Gaza was due to be towed back to Ashdod in Israel yet again due to high seas expected over the weekend, it was reported on Saturday.

Deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh announced on Friday that since May 17, the pier has assisted in delivering 8,831 metric tonnes of aid to Gaza from Cyprus. But the operation and utility of the pier in getting desperately needed aid into Gaza has been severely hampered by bad weather.

According to Singh, due to high seas expected this weekend, US Central Command has removed the temporary pier from its anchored position in Gaza and will tow it back to Ashdod.

“As always, the safety of our service members is a top priority, and temporarily relocating the pier will prevent potential structural damage that could be caused by the heightened sea state,” she said. 

In the past seven days, she added, Centcom delivered more than 4,500 metric tons of aid from Larnaca to the marshalling yard in Gaza. She noted that the pier enabled delivery of the second highest volume of aid from any entry point into Gaza this past week.

Since May 17, Centcom has assisted in the delivery of more than 8,831 metric tons of humanitarian aid to the shore of Gaza for onward distribution by humanitarian organisations, Singh said.

The Pentagon spokesperson said that the pier was not an end-all solution to getting aid into Gaza, adding that land routes are the most effective delivery method. “We continue to urge for those land routes to be reopened,” she said. 

The pier could be floated back to Gaza again if the commander makes that determination based on the sea state, Singh said. 

There have been increasing doubts cast over the pier’s viability. Since it began operations on May 17, the pier had only been usable for 12 days, The Guardian wrote on June 23.

Operations had been suspended once again until last week while the US fixed the temporary pier.