Several U.S. officials say the pier built by the American military to bring humanitarian aid to Gaza will be reinstalled on the beach to be used for several days, but then the plan is to pull it out permanently. It would deal the final blow to a project long plagued by bad weather, security uncertainties and difficulties getting food into the hands of starving Palestinians. Heavy Israeli bombardments pounded Gaza City on Tuesday, driving thousands of Palestinians to flee and forcing medical facilities to shut down because of the latest offensive in the territory’s north. Hamas says the expanding Israeli offensive could have “disastrous repercussions” for cease-fire talks.
