US sea route for Gaza aid isn't working, say Pentagon and UN

Only five of 16 aid trucks leaving the Gaza pier on Saturday had arrived at the warehouse with their cargo, said a UN World Food Program spokesman. The deliveries had to be suspended for two days after the trucks were intercepted by a crowd. The entire project is estimated to cost $320 million, and the pier was only installed last Thursday.

The $320 million pier project to deliver aid to Gaza has yet to connect goods with the people who need them.

Gaza's 2.2 million residents face months-long food shortages that have exacerbated already-poor health in the region. Humanitarian aid groups have criticized Israel for not letting enough aid trucks into Gaza, keeping critical crossing closed, and creating logistical hurdles.

Israel has denied the accusations and has blamed the UN for failing to distribute aid, which the UN disputes.

Pentagon press secretary Major General Pat Ryder said on Tuesday that the goods unloaded on the temporary pier that the US built off the coast of Gaza haven't reached those in need, per CNN.

And this entire project may eventually be a failure if Israel doesn't create conditions for aid groups to carry out their operations safely, the UN World Food Program said on Tuesday, per the Associated Press.

Over the weekend, trucks carrying aid from the pier were intercepted by a crowd, CNN reported.