A lorry carries humanitarian aid across Trident Pier, a temporary pier to deliver aid, off the Gaza Strip, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, near the Gaza coast, 19 May 2024; Credit: US Army Central/Handout via Reuters/File Photo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The US military is preparing to temporarily remove its humanitarian pier off the coast of Gaza because of anticipated sea conditions, a US official said on Friday 14 June 2024, the latest challenge to the effort that has been hampered by bad weather since it was put into place in May.

The floating US military pier off Gaza had just resumed bringing humanitarian aid into the enclave after being suspended over the weekend.

The official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that the pier would likely be moved to the Israeli port of Ashdod until sea conditions improve.

Aid began arriving via the US-built pier on 17 May 2024, and the UN said it transported 137 lorries of aid to warehouses, some 900 metric tonnes, before the US announced on 28 May 2024 that it had suspended operations so repairs could be made.

The United Nations said on Friday it had still not resumed transportation of aid from the pier to UN World Food Programme warehouses.

"Our security colleagues are still working to ensure that secure conditions for humanitarian work can be re-established," said deputy UN spokesperson Farhan Haq.

US President Joe Biden announced in March 2024 the plan to put the pier in place for aid deliveries as famine loomed in Gaza, a Hamas-run enclave of 2.3 million people, during the war between Israel and the Palestinian militants.

The pier is estimated to cost hundreds of millions of dollars for the first 90 days and involve about 1,000 US service members.