Several desperate Gazans intercepted trucks delivering aid from the pier over the weekend, leading the UN to suspend the delivery operations until the logistical challenges are resolved. The amount of aid getting to the Gaza shoreline from its initial staging area in Cyprus has also fallen short of initial Pentagon estimates. The pier was finally anchored to Gaza last week as the humanitarian situation in the enclave has only worsened. The US has also made a number of air drops of humanitarian aid into Gaza in partnership with the Royal Jordanian Air Force. And we understand the desperate need of the Palestinian people right now,” Ryder said of efforts to get aid into Gaza.

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Persons: Pat Ryder, Ryder, Brad Cooper, ” Mounir, ” Ryder, we’re, Sonali Korde, Lloyd Austin, ” Organizations: CNN, UN, Pentagon, United Nations, Defense Department, US Naval Forces Central Command, US Agency for International Development’s Bureau, Humanitarian, Defense, Royal Jordanian Air Force, US Central Command Locations: Gaza, Israel, Cyprus, Rafah