[8] After its collapse, it was dismissed by Stephen Walt as an expensive PR stunt to sidestep pressuring Israel to open its border crossings.

[9] The United States denied allegations that Israeli forces had used the Gaza floating pier during the Nuseirat refugee camp massacre or the rescue operation.

[12] A blockade has been imposed on the movement of goods and people in and out of the Gaza Strip since Hamas's takeover in 2007, led by Israel and supported by Egypt.

[15] In the summer of 2015, a third flotilla was planned to break the blockade and set out from Sweden with multiple stops before being intercepted by the Israeli military in international waters and participants detained.

[16][17] The Gaza Strip is experiencing a humanitarian crisis as a result of the Israel–Hamas war, which began after the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

[18][22] After receiving pressure from U.S. President Biden, Gallant changed his position of a complete blockade and a deal was made on 19 October for Israel and Egypt to allow aid into Gaza.

[24] On February 9, 2024, UNRWA's director Philippe Lazzarini reported that Israel had blocked food for 1.1 million Palestinians in Gaza.

[25] During October and November 2023, Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides developed the maritime aid corridor idea, named the Amalthea Initiative,[26][27] with European Union leaders at a humanitarian conference in Paris and elsewhere.

[30] On November 20, 2023, Christodoulides said Cyprus was ready to ship large quantities of humanitarian aid to Gaza when a pause in fighting was declared.

[41] Over 1,000 U.S. military personnel were involved in the construction of the pier and 1,800 foot (550 m) long Joint Logistics Over-The-Shore (JLOTS) type modular causeway over 60 days.

[45][46] The project, known internally as the Blue Beach Plan, was partially developed by an advisory group called Fogbow, co-founded by Michael Mulroy, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense, and Sam Mundy, a retired Marine Lt. Gen.

[54] On March 12, prior to construction of the U.S. pier, a barge "testing" the delivery route, operated by Spanish charity Proactiva Open Arms and loaded with 200 tons of food from World Central Kitchen, left the port of Larnaca in Cyprus for Gaza.

[64][65][66] In addition to Army, Naval Beach Group 1 from San Diego, and MV Roy P. Benavidez (T-AKR-306) from an East Coast maritime reserve force were assigned to assist in construction.

[68] The Senate Intelligence and Foreign Relations Committee chairpersons Mark Warner and Ben Cardin (both Democrats) requested briefings from the Biden administration on the force protection plan for the U.S. units participating in the construction.

[72] During April the IDF prepared the 67 acres (27 ha) concrete walled landing site which included a storage zone for aid awaiting movement by trucking contractors into Gaza.

[8] On April 26, construction of the pier by US forces began,[74] and satellite photos published a few days later showed Benavidez building the dock 8 kilometers (4.3 nautical miles) from the Gaza shore.

[77][78] A Centurion C-RAM (Counter-Rocket, Artillery, and Mortar) and the M-LIDS anti-drone systems were installed in May by the shore-attached section of the pier for force protection.

Spokeswoman Sabrina Singh stated that the pier will be removed from the sea with help from the Israeli Navy and undergo over a week of repairs in Ashdod before returning.

[12] On June 8, 2024, Israel initiated a military action that rescued 4 hostages and killed 274 Palestinians (mostly civilians), according to Gaza Health Authorities.

[10] A video emerged on social media showing an Israeli Black Hawk helicopter close to the pier picking up IDF soldiers and hostages.

[10] The Popular Resistance Committees in Gaza released a statement in which it "confirms the participation of American enemy forces stationed on the floating dock" to conduct an attack on the Nuseira refugee camp.

[107] On May 21, the UN stated aid had not entered Gaza from the pier in two days, and that it was at risk of failure unless Israel provided safe operating conditions for humanitarian organizations.

[110] Stephen Walt criticized the whole operation for its cost – after the damage expected to run into hundreds of millions – arguing that the project arose from the Biden administration's reluctance to pressure Israel into opening its borders to allow relief aid in sufficient quantities to overcome the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and sustain the population.

[9] Military experts noted that JLOTS (Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore) type piers were not designed to operate in rough seas and were last used in Haiti in 2010.