This Thursday, three US service members were injured while supporting a mission to provide humanitarian aid in Gaza; one of them is in critical condition. According to defense sources, the injuries are not combat-related.

According to various reports, the incident is linked to the pier recently built by the United States in front of Gaza. Although no further details were provided about what happened, a defense official explained that the man in critical condition was injured aboard the USNS Benavidez (a US Navy freighter). At the time of the injury, the ship was moored at the staging platform, two miles off the coast of Gaza, where relief supplies are being unloaded.

On the other hand, Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, deputy commander of the United States Central Command (CENTCOM), announced that the soldier in critical condition had to be evacuated to Israel to receive medical treatment and that two of the members who suffered minor injuries have already managed to return to their positions.

“From a privacy perspective, I would just leave it at we had two minor injuries and one, as I mentioned, was medivac,” he said. “On the injuries, I’m not getting too much detail. One was simply a sprained ankle,” he added.

Last week, a maritime dock built by the United States was finished being anchored off the coast of Gaza with the aim of allowing more humanitarian aid supplies to enter the war zone.

The humanitarian aid distribution process involves trucks loaded with supplies being prepared on the island of Cyprus. Once loaded, these trucks head toward the American vessels sailing toward the Gaza dock, which act as intermediaries.

“The maritime corridor is a complex, multi-step process through which aid is moved to humanitarian organizations ready to facilitate its distribution to Palestinian communities throughout Gaza in an independent, neutral and impartial manner,” explained Daniel Dieckhaus, director of the USAID Levant Response Management Team.

According to the deputy commander of CENTCOM, “in the last several days,” more than a million pounds of aid has already been delivered.