US military boats encounter rough seas during aid mission to Gaza

Four U.S. Army vessels supporting the maritime humanitarian aid mission in Gaza have been affected by “heavy sea states” near the battered region.

All four ships broke free from the pier where they were tied up, but the pier remains fully functional with no injuries reported.

“The vessels broke free from their moorings and two vessels are now anchored on the beach near the pier,” a statement from U.S. Central Command said. “The third and fourth vessels are beached on the coast of Israel near Ashkelon. Efforts to recover the vessels are under way with assistance from the Israeli Navy.”

The incident occurred in the morning European Eastern Standard Time, which is seven hours ahead of the United States.

“The IDF is supporting the recovery efforts near the pier,” the statement continued. “No U.S. personnel will enter Gaza. No injuries have been reported and the pier remains fully functional. We will release additional details as they become available.”

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The Army has not been directly involved in the Israel-Hamas conflict, though America does ship weapons and armaments for the Israel Defense Forces to use. The pier referred to is a floating pier that the United States installed to facilitate humanitarian aid delivery. Three service members were recently injured while working on the pier, one critically.

U.S. officials acknowledged recently that “little relief has reached Palestinians in the besieged strip,” despite the expensive effort. Many aid trucks have been looted.