US-Led Gaza Pier Project Comes Under Mortar Fire as UN Officials Tour Site
The US military’s ambitious project to erect a large pier off Gaza’s coast (all within a war zone) to allow maritime shipments of humanitarian aid to Palestinians is off to a rocky start, after new reports that the construction site has come under fire.
UN officials were reportedly present at the location on Thursday when it came under attack by unknown gunmen, forcing the visiting delegation to take cover.
Hamas has previously warned that it plans to resist any foreign military entity on Gaza’s territory, which would include the US forces constructing the pier.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) issued a statement blaming Palestinian terrorists for the attack (either Hamas or PIJ/Islamic Jihad), which included the launching of mortars.
“Members of a terror group in the Gaza Strip launched mortars at an under-construction pier for a US-led project to bring aid into the Palestinian enclave yesterday, the military says,” as cited in Times of Israel.
“The mortar attack occurred as United Nations officials were touring the site with Israeli troops on the coast of central Gaza, the IDF says in response to a query on the incident.”
Officials said there were no casualties, but the IDF rushed the visiting UN officials to shelter. The UN subsequently also acknowledged the unprecedented attack on the site.
“The terrorist organizations continue to systematically harm humanitarian efforts while risking the lives of UN workers, while Israel allows the supply of aid to the residents of the Gaza Strip,” the IDF added in its statement.
Sources:ZeroHedge
