U.S. forces reinstall Gaza aid pier

U.S. Central Command on Friday said that American forces had successfully repaired the pier and reattached it to the Gaza coast. Severe weather off the Gaza coast late last month damaged the pier, breaking off several sections of it. U.S. forces then had to regather the dock sections and repair the pier at the Israeli port at Ashdod.

What does this mean? Repairing the pier allows American and coalition forces to resume pouring aid into Gaza, U.S. Central Command said on Friday. Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh earlier this week told reporters that the cost of setting up and running the aid pier operation turned out to be around $90 million cheaper than U.S. officials estimated it would be—even including some of the costs of repairing the pier.

Dig deeper: Read my report in The Sift from yesterday about how the United States and other countries are calling for Israel and Hamas to accept a cease-fire proposal that would allow for more humanitarian aid into the region.