Most U.S. troops involved in the aid distribution mission in Gaza have now returned to the United States, and the rest should be home by mid-September, defense officials confirmed Thursday.
Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said more than 540 service members involved in the humanitarian effort have arrived back in the United States already this month, and about 100 more are expected home in the next few days.
Pentagon officials confirmed in a statement “all remaining personnel and JLOTS equipment are scheduled to return by mid-September.” About 6 million pounds of undistributed aid will be delivered before the final troops depart from the region.
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The controversial Gaza pier mission helped transport about 20 million pounds of food and humanitarian aid into the war-torn region over a three-month period.
Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore (JLOTS) specialists constructed a floating pier which allowed aid trucks to avoid dangerous land-based border crossings into Gaza and help more quickly transport assistance to individuals in need.
But weather and logistics issues limited how frequently the pier could be accessed. Three U.S. service members sustained non-combat-related injuries during the mission.
Republican lawmakers also repeatedly lamented that U.S. troops stationed near Israel could become targets for terrorists, though such threats never materialized.
In mid-July, administration officials opted to end the project after officials from U.S. Central Command recommended against rebuilding the pier following its separation from shore during bad weather.
At its peak, about 1,000 U.S. service members and eight military vessels were involved in the effort.
Leo covers Congress, Veterans Affairs and the White House for Military Times. He has covered Washington, D.C. since 2004, focusing on military personnel and veterans policies. His work has earned numerous honors, including a 2009 Polk award, a 2010 National Headliner Award, the IAVA Leadership in Journalism award and the VFW News Media award.
