Gaza-based militants attack Israeli forces preparing for US pier

Gaza-based militants launched mortar rounds on Wednesday at Israeli forces making preparations for the U.S.-led effort to establish a new maritime aid route for Gaza, according to three U.S. officials.

No American equipment was damaged as the U.S.-led project — which will establish a pier a few miles offshore as well as a causeway anchored to the beach to expand access to humanitarian aid — is not yet complete, said one of the officials. All were granted anonymity to discuss sensitive plans.

But the attack came as U.S. military personnel were scheduled to soon begin construction of the pier, which the U.S. hopes will drastically expand the amount of aid that can reach the enclave. The Pentagon has said the project will be operational by the end of the month or early May, and U.S. military ships are standing by to start the work.

It’s not clear whether the militants knew what they were attacking, said the first U.S. official, adding that they may have simply seen a “target of opportunity” to strike the Israel Defense Forces.

A “small number of mortars” caused “minimal damage” in Gaza in the vicinity of the “marshalling yard area for humanitarian assistance that will soon be delivered by sea,” said one of the officials, a member of the U.S. military. The attack occurred before U.S. personnel began constructing the floating pier, the official said, noting that “there will be no U.S. forces on the ground in Gaza.”

The attack does not delay efforts for the maritime corridor, and effort is still on schedule to begin initial operations in early May, the military official said.

The IDF confirmed in a statement that militants from various groups in the Gaza Strip attacked “the engineering work area in the northern Gaza Strip.”

The IDF did not specifically mention the U.S.-led effort but said the work “is being carried out as part of IDF efforts, in cooperation with international partners, to expand Humanitarian aid to Gazan civilians.”

The mortar rounds struck the area where preparations for the project were getting underway, said the third U.S. official.

The attack took place while United Nations officials were touring the area, according to the IDF statement. During the attack, the UN officials “entered protected spaces following the instructions of IDF soldiers in the area.”

The attack occurred just before   reports emerged   on Thursday that the U.S. military would begin assembling the pier and the causeway as soon as this weekend.

“This is further proof of the continuous attempts made by the terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip to systematically harm humanitarian efforts, endangering the lives of UN workers while Israel remains committed to enable and facilitate humanitarian aid to Gazan civilians,” according to the IDF statement.

Pentagon spokesperson Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said this week that U.S. military ships carrying equipment to build the pier are in the Mediterranean “standing by” to begin construction. Officials are still running through a “checklist” of things that need to be in place before construction begins, including finalizing agreements for security and distributing the aid.

The project is still planned to be operational by the end of April or early May, Ryder said.

The Biden administration is ramping up efforts to expand humanitarian aid to Gaza, a senior administration official told reporters.

“This week, we are doing everything we possibly can to truly surge humanitarian assistance in Gaza, and that really is happening now,” the official said.

Matt Berg contributed to this report.