The United States says it is “incidental” that the deadly Israeli operation took place near the floating dock built to deliver aid to Gaza.
The United States has stressed that its temporary aid dock in Gaza was not used in the rescue operation of Israeli captives in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza that killed more than 270 people.
The Pentagon said Monday that reports linking the pier to Saturday's Israeli attack that resulted in the release of four captives held by Hamas are “inaccurate.”
“It was close, but I think it's incidental. Once again, the dock, the equipment, the personnel that supported that humanitarian effort had nothing to do with the [Israeli military] rescue operation,” Pentagon spokesman Patrick Ryder told reporters.
He added that the Israeli operation – despite its proximity to the US floating dock – does not put US personnel at “greater risk.”
“To emphasize, the temporary dock on the coast of Gaza was installed for one purpose only: to help move additional urgently needed lifesaving assistance to Gaza,” Ryder said.
The Washington Post reported Sunday that the Israeli military used a helicopter on a beach “not far” from the US pier to evacuate three of the captives and the soldiers who freed them.
The Israeli army heavily bombed the Nuseirat area during the operation, killing at least 274 people, including dozens of women and children, according to Palestinian authorities in Gaza.
President Joe Biden's administration praised the rescue of the captives.
“We welcome the rescue of four hostages who, after eight months of captivity, have finally been reunited with their families in Israel. “The United States will not rest until all hostages return home,” the State Department said in a statement on Saturday.
While the US military has denied involvement in the attack, several international media outlets, including The New York Times, have reported that US officials provided intelligence that assisted with the operation.
Hamas condemned Washington's alleged involvement in the mission, saying it “demonstrates once again the complicity of the US administration and its full participation in the war crimes committed in the Gaza Strip.”
The Palestinian group said the attack also raises questions about the concern expressed by the United States over the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
Biden announced the decision to build the humanitarian dock in March amid the Israeli blockade of Gaza, which has sparked fears of famine.
The American floating dock was completed in May, but within weeks it was damaged by bad weather and required repairs. The dock was reassembled on Friday.
Aid groups have argued for weeks that the U.S. dock is not an adequate substitute for delivering humanitarian assistance via land routes.
In late May, 20 aid organizations, including Doctors Without Borders, called the dock installed by the United States part of “cosmetic changes” that fail to adequately address the crisis.
“As Israeli attacks intensify in Rafah, the unpredictable trickle of aid into Gaza has created a mirage of better access, while the humanitarian response is actually on the brink of collapse,” the groups said in a statement.
The attack on Nuseirat could further deepen the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) stopped its aid deliveries in Gaza after the operation.
“Two of our warehouses were bombed yesterday, so we've taken a step back just for the moment to make sure we're on safe terms and on safe ground before we restart,” WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain told CBS. News on Sunday. .
