Pentagon says the US has started building the Gaza aid pier

The Pentagon said Thursday that the US military had begun building a pier near Gaza in a bid to increase the flow of badly needed humanitarian aid into the enclave, which the Israeli government had previously restricted.

Meanwhile, a mortar attack earlier by what the US said were Gaza-based militants landed nearby. The US said the attack targeted Israeli military personnel in the area, and no US assets were damaged.

Pentagon Spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters that this attack will “in no way” delay the pier’s construction, which is still on track to be completed by next month.

According to Ryder, the causeway and pier the US military is building are well outside mortar range.

“I can confirm that US military vessels… have begun to construct the initial stages of the temporary pier and causeway at sea,” Ryder said.