Biden's Gaza pier injured far more troops than previously known

Over 60 US troops were injured during Biden's floating aid pier mission in Gaza, a new Pentagon report shows.

American soldiers stand guard at Trident Pier, a temporary pier to deliver aid off the Gaza Strip, June 25, 2024 (photo credit: REUTERS/AMIR COHEN)
American soldiers stand guard at Trident Pier, a temporary pier to deliver aid off the Gaza Strip, June 25, 2024
(photo credit: REUTERS/AMIR COHEN)

More than 60 service members were injured as a part of former president Joe Biden's floating aid pier in Gaza, a Pentagon Inspector General report published on Tuesday said, a number significantly higher than had been previously disclosed.

The pier, announced by Biden during a televised address to Congress in March 2024, was a massive endeavor that took about 1,000 US forces to execute.

But bad weather and distribution challenges inside Gaza limited the effectiveness of what the US military says was its biggest aid delivery effort ever in the Middle East. The pier was only operational for about 20 days and cost about $230 million.

While there were no deaths or known direct attacks on the pier, the Pentagon had said three US troops suffered non-combat injuries in support of the pier in May, with one medically evacuated in critical condition.

 A truck carries humanitarian aid across Trident Pier, a temporary pier to deliver aid, off the Gaza Strip, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, near the Gaza coast, June 25, 2024.  (credit: REUTERS/Amir Cohen TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY REPORT CONTENT  PREVIEW  XML)
A truck carries humanitarian aid across Trident Pier, a temporary pier to deliver aid, off the Gaza Strip, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, near the Gaza coast, June 25, 2024. (credit: REUTERS/Amir Cohen TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY REPORT CONTENT PREVIEW XML)

Pentagon says some 62 US soldiers injured at Gaza aid pier

But the new report by the Pentagon Inspector General said that the number was actually 62.

"Based on the information provided, we were not able to determine which of these 62 injuries occurred during the performance of duties or resulted off duty or from pre-existing medical conditions," the report said.

The pier became a sore point in Congress, where Republicans branded it a political stunt by Biden, who was under pressure from fellow Democrats to do more to aid Palestinians after months of staunchly supporting Israel's war on Hamas.

While it brought in sorely needed aid to a marshaling area on Gaza's shore, the 1,200-foot-long floating pier had to be removed multiple times because of bad weather.

The Inspector General said that the US military did not meet the standards for the equipment. 

"Nor did they organize, train, and equip their forces to meet common joint standards," the report said.