US restores floating dock to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza

Last week, the dock was moved to an Israeli port due to rough seas, the second time weather conditions have affected the dock since it was built last month. US Central Command (CENTCOM) troops anchored and re-established the dock with the assistance of Israeli forces, Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder said. He said humanitarian aid deliveries through the dock also resumed overnight, bringing the total amount of aid delivered to Gaza through the facility to more than 4,100 tons.

The dock was built in mid-May to transport humanitarian aid to Gaza, but was damaged by bad weather late last month and had to be temporarily shut down for repairs. It resumed operations on June 7, but was then shut down again for two days due to bad weather, and was temporarily shut down again on June 14. Meanwhile, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has temporarily suspended aid deliveries through the dock to assess the security situation.

In another development, on the same day, more than 30 UN experts called on countries and companies to stop transferring weapons and ammunition to Israel.

In a joint statement issued in Geneva, special rapporteurs, independent experts and working groups of the UN Human Rights Council called on states and arms manufacturers to stop selling or transferring weapons, ammunition and other military equipment to Israel, even if this is done under existing export licenses. These companies include BAE Systems, Boeing, Caterpillar, General Dynamics and Lockheed Martin.

The cessation of transfers must include those carried out indirectly through intermediary countries that could ultimately be used by Israeli forces, particularly in the ongoing offensive in the Gaza Strip. Financial institutions that have invested in these arms companies, including Bank of America, Capital Group and JP Morgan Chase, may also be held accountable.