When the pier opened for operations in mid-May, U.S. officials said it would remain in place until August or September.
However, after a storm in late May, four landing craft involved in the operation were disengaged and washed ashore. Part of the dock also had to be moved to Ashdod for repairs.
The entire structure had to be moved to Ashdod three more times over the next month due to bad weather and maintenance before the U.S. military decided to terminate the mission.
The US also had to deny fake social media reports that Israel had used the docks for a hostage rescue mission in central Gaza on June 8.
But due to security concerns, the World Food Programme stopped collecting the supplies from the storage area next to the dock, and the supplies were piled on thousands of pallets. Eventually, a contractor was hired to move the supplies to a warehouse to prevent them from being damaged.
Last week, US President Joe Biden expressed disappointment with the dock mission, saying he “hoped it would be more successful.”
Mr Biden announced in March that he would build the docks in response to a UN-backed assessment that said famine was “imminent” in northern Gaza.
A recent assessment in late June said there was no evidence of famine in the area, citing increased supplies of food and other aid.
However, it warned that 495,000 people across the Gaza Strip still face “catastrophic levels” of hunger and that the “high risk” of hunger will persist as long as fighting between Israel and Hamas continues and humanitarian access is restricted.
UN officials blamed the situation on Israeli military restrictions on aid deliveries, continued hostilities and a breakdown in law and order.
Israel insists there is no limit to the amount of aid that can be delivered to Gaza and beyond, and accuses UN agencies of failing to distribute the supplies. It also accuses Hamas of stealing the aid, a charge Hamas denies.
