Biden’s Gaza Pier Runs Up $22 Million In Repair Costs After Storm Washed It Away

The Biden administration’s Gaza aid pier will cost $22 million to repair after it was damaged by bad weather last week, two Pentagon officials told The Washington Post on Thursday.

The causeway pier, meant to serve as a channel for aid delivery to Gaza via the Mediterranean Sea, was broken apart by tumultuous weather and sea conditions in late May. It will cost at least $22 million to repair the pier before it can become operational again, but the costs could balloon to as high as $28 million, the officials told the Post, speaking on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.

The pier is currently being rebuilt at the port of Ashdod in Israel, and officials hope to re-anchor it to the shores of Gaza by the end of the week so that the flow of aid via the Mediterranean maritime route could continue, Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh told reporters on Wednesday. The repair costs will come out of the hundreds of millions of dollars the Biden administration is dedicating to the pier.

The Pentagon initially set budget expectations for the pier at approximately $320 million, but now believes the total cost will be closer to $230 million, Singh told reporters.

“This estimate does include some of the costs associated with the repairs and rebuilding of the pier,” Singh said. “And just as a reminder, these are estimates and initial assessments, and the cost could fluctuate depending on the length of the mission and future costs, an example of that being additional repairs.”