1 US service member in critical condition after being injured on Gaza humanitarian aid mission, along with 2 others: Defense officials.

Three American servicemembers in Gaza suffered non-combat injuries, according to US defense officials.

1 US service member in critical condition after being injured on Gaza humanitarian aid mission, along with 2 others: Defense officials.
1 US service member in critical condition after being injured on Gaza humanitarian aid mission, along with 2 others: Defense officials.

On Thursday, a U.S. service member was critically injured in a non-combat incident while providing humanitarian aid to Gaza, as stated by a U.S. defense official.

"On May 23, a U.S. service member sustained a non-combat related injury while on board USNS Benavidez (T-AKR 306) in support of the humanitarian aid mission to Gaza. The service member was transported to a medical facility and is currently in critical condition. Further details will be provided as they become available."

On Thursday, during an on-record call, defense officials informed reporters that three U.S. service members sustained injuries while assisting in a humanitarian aid mission in Gaza.

According to Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, one individual was found in critical condition while the other two sustained "very minor" injuries, which he described as "routine injuries."

Gaza pier
Palestinians gather in the hope of obtaining aid delivered into Gaza through a U.S.-built pier, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, as seen from central Gaza Strip, May 19, 2024. (REUTERS/Ramadan Abed/File Photo)

The two service members who sustained minor injuries have resumed their duties.

"Cooper informed reporters that he wasn't providing much detail about the injuries, stating that one was just a sprained ankle."

Last Thursday, a temporary pier was set up on a Gaza beach as Israel faces increasing international pressure to allow more aid into the embattled coastal region, where it is engaged in conflict with Hamas militants and a food crisis threatens.

Workers on a metal floating pier
In this image provided by the U.S. Army, soldiers assigned to the 7th Transportation Brigade (Expeditionary) and sailors attached to the MV Roy P. Benavidez assemble the Roll-On, Roll-Off Distribution Facility (RRDF), or floating pier, off the shore of Gaza in the Mediterranean Sea on April 26, 2024. The pier is part of the Army's Joint Logistics Over The Shore (JLOTS) system which provides critical bridging and water access capabilities.  (U.S. Army via AP)

On Friday, operations commenced and 10 aid trucks driven by U.N. contractors arrived at a World Food Programme warehouse in Deir El Balah, Gaza. However, on Saturday, only five trucks reached the warehouse as 11 others were stopped.

Self-distribution occurred at various points along the way where trucks were halted by crowds, as stated by U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric during a press conference in New York on Tuesday.

Through areas with no aid, these trucks traveled. People feared they'd never see aid and thus grabbed what they could, as stated.

The U.N. halted aid distribution and devised new routes and coordination measures to prevent further interception of aid, according to Abeer Etefa, a WFP spokesperson in Cairo.

Since Israel intensified its military operations in Rafah, over 900,000 people have been displaced due to the disrupted access to southern Gaza, as stated by the U.N.

Reuters contributed to this report.

by Greg Wehner,Liz Friden

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