The Gaza Pier: A public relations stunt doomed from the start

The US is now considering temporarily dismantling and relocating its pier off the coast of Gaza for the second time over fears of poor conditions.

After it was previously damaged and repaired two times in the past month, the US-built pier meant to deliver humanitarian aid to Palestinians now also faces the question of whether the United Nations will even continue using it to distribute aid.

The mounting obstacles set out in front of the pier in its short lifespan are demonstrative of what former US officials, aid agencies and government watchdogs say is a US public relations stunt that serves to divert attention away from Israel's ongoing destruction of Gaza, as well as Israel's restriction of aid to the strip.

"This pier has been an immense and costly distraction from the work that we need to do and the problems we need to solve," Scott Paul, who leads humanitarian policy at Oxfam, told Middle East Eye.

Read more: The Gaza Pier: A public relations stunt doomed from the start