The Pentagon announced on Wednesday it was ending Gaza’s sea-based humanitarian mission, which has helped deliver millions of pounds of food and other supplies to the war-torn region. expectations.

Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, the No. 2 official at U.S. Central Command, which coordinates all U.S. military operations in the Middle East, told reporters during a press conference that “the maritime surge mission involving the ship is complete.” The operation will be moved to the Israeli port of Ashdod, where personnel will continue to facilitate aid deliveries, he said.

The floating ship program announced by President Biden in March, administration officials predicted would allow 2 million meals a day to reach starving Palestinians caught in the crossfire between Israeli military forces and Hamas militants.

Speaking during Gaza’s State of the Union address, the president said the scope of suffering and starvation in Gaza made the U.S. mission a moral imperative, and he insisted no U.S. troops would go ashore — seemingly trying to find a balance between putting The Americans’ brutality and idleness in the famine increased the civilian toll of the war.

But once the operation, at a cost of $230 million, Faced with countless problems. Constantly rough seas battered and damaged the structure, forcing repeated shutdowns of operations. Importantly, aid teams expected to distribute food upon reaching land were reluctant to do so, citing continued fears for the safety of their workers as the war’s staggering civilian casualties continued to mount.

The operation has sent about 20 million pounds of food ashore since it began on May 17 — part of what humanitarian groups say is needed after Israeli officials resisted U.S. and international demands to allow them into Gaza by land.

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This is a growing story. It will be updated.

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