The U.S. would permanently halt operations using the temporary pier erected off the Gaza Strip coastline to provide aid to the embattled Palestinian territory.

The U.S. military command responsible for the region said on Wednesday.

An alternative route using the Israeli port of Ashdod to the north is in the planning stage, but details have not yet been released.

From the outset, the pier was seen as a temporary solution to the problem of bringing aid into Gaza, but there have been repeated problems since it was put into operation in May.

Rough seas severely damaged it, and distribution of aid from it to the population proved difficult.

The U.S. Central Command nevertheless termed the project a success, saying it brought in a great deal of aid and helped ensure that it reached the population of the Gaza Strip quickly.

The Pentagon estimated the pier’s cost at around $300 million. Initial expectations were high, with around 90 trucks of aid planned per day, rising to 150 at a later date.

Gaza health authority reports further deaths from IDF strikes.

Earlier on Wednesday, health authorities in the Gaza Strip reported further deaths as the Israeli military said it was continuing operations in the centre and the south of the coastal strip.

The Hamas-controlled health authority said that nine people had died in a town located in central Gaza.

Staff at the al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City reported that another nine had died in an Israeli attack on the entrance to a school run by UNRWA.

The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees said.

The Israeli military has previously accused Hamas of abusing UN facilities and has attacked UNRWA schools in the past.

It has also accused UNRWA of harbouring Hamas militants.

According to UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini, at least eight schools in the Gaza Strip have been struck over the past 10 days, including six run by UNRWA.

At least 38,794 people have died, and a further 89,364 have been injured since the start of the current war, according to the Gaza health authority. The figures did not distinguish civilians and combatants and cannot be independently verified.

Israel launched its ongoing military offensive in the Gaza Strip after Hamas led unprecedented attacks on Israel on October 7, which killed 1,200 people and included brutal massacres of civilians. 

(dpa/NAN)