U.S. soldiers injured at Gaza during pier operation

Shafaq News/ On Thursday, three American soldiers sustained non-combat injuries during the construction and operation of a sea dock off the coast of Gaza, U.S. Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, the deputy commander of U.S. Central Command, said.

Cooper disclosed to reporters that two of the soldiers suffered minor injuries, one with a sprained ankle and the other with a minor back injury. Both returned to duty.

"The third injured was evacuated to a hospital in Israel," Cooper explained.

The sea dock, announced by U.S. President Joe Biden in March, is intended to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid. Costing about $320 million, it involved 1,000 American soldiers.

Aid delivered via the dock is first routed through Cyprus, where it undergoes inspection by Israeli authorities before being sent to Gaza.

For the 15th consecutive day, Israel has kept the Rafah border crossing and the Kerem Abu Salem commercial crossing in the southern Gaza Strip closed, sparking warnings of a looming humanitarian catastrophe.

The closures began on May 5 when Israeli forces took control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing, halting the flow of aid into Gaza.

The Kerem Abu Salem crossing, southeast of Rafah, was shut down two days later, further preventing the entry of humanitarian and medical supplies.

The U.N. emphasized the necessity of allowing at least 500 trucks to enter the Gaza Strip daily to meet the population's needs.

Since the closures, Israeli forces have blocked more than 3,000 aid trucks from entering Gaza and prevented around 700 sick and wounded individuals from leaving the besieged territory for medical treatment abroad.

On Sunday, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a stark warning about the dire situation in Gaza. "Supplies of essential medicines and fuel are very low in the Gaza Strip, and movement is limited due to security restrictions [imposed by the Israeli occupation]," the WHO stated.