First photos of the $320 million US aid pier off Gaza: 1,00 Army and Navy members keep building despite fears Americans could be attacked, fury from Republicans and criticism that food is blocked on land

The Pentagon put out new photos Monday that gave the first close-up look at construction of a new pier that will bring aid to Gaza – in a project with ballooning costs that as already drawing scrutiny in Congress.

U.S. Central Command blasted out images of the project under the headline 'Pier-building begins.'

It highlighted construction of what the military calls a 'floating JLOTS pier in the Mediterranean' to try to address massive disruptions to normal aid delivery amid Israel's pounding campaign on Hamas in Gaza.  

Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh told reporters the cost had swelled to $320 million, about double an earlier estimate. She said it was a rough estimate that includes transportation of massive pier sections, plus construction and aid delivery operations. 

US Central Command released the first images of the pier being constructed to allow vital humanitarian aid into Gaza

The progress can be seen from satellite images from the port where the Israel Defense Forces are constructing the port, with US Navy vessels nearby. 

But Republicans in Congress are already slamming the project as a potential target for attacks. 

The Pentagon has said involves about 1,000 U.S. service members, mostly from the Army and Navy. Reuters first reported the new $320 million estimate, roughly double from initial estimates earlier this year, according to a person familiar with the matter.

'The cost has not just risen. It has exploded,' Senator Roger Wicker, the top Republican on the Democratic-led Senate Armed Services Committee, told Reuters, when asked about the costs.

'How much will taxpayers be on the hook once - or if - the pier is finally constructed?' Wicker asked.

'For every day this mission continues, the price tag goes up and so does the level of risk for the 1,000 deployed troops within range of Hamas' rockets.'

The US led effort also involves the Israeli Defense Forces

The administration has pressed Israel to allow more deliveries of humanitarian aid amid Israel's war on Hamas in Gaza

US Navy and IDF engineers are involved.  This satellite photo from Planet Labs PBC shows the USNS Roy P. Benavidez in the Mediterranean Sea off shore from the Gaza Strip on Saturday, April 27, 2024.

'This dangerous effort with marginal benefit will now cost the American taxpayers at least $320 million to operate the pier for only 90 days.'

A satellite image from Sunday by Planet Labs PBC showed pieces of the floating pier in the Mediterranean Sea alongside the USNS Roy P. Benavidez. 

President Joe Biden announced the pier in March as aid officials implored Israel to ease access for relief supplies into Gaza over land routes. By opening a second route for aid, this one by sea, Biden administration officials hope to avert famine in northern Gaza.

Israel's military campaign against Hamas, in response to Hamas' attack on Israel on Oct. 7, has devastated the tiny Gaza Strip and plunged its 2.3 million people into a humanitarian catastrophe.

Still, Wicker and some other lawmakers have questioned whether the pier is a worthwhile endeavor, particularly given the risk that U.S. military personnel could become targets of Hamas militants.

Concerns about the threat to American troops getting caught up in the Israel-Hamas war were underscored on Thursday as news emerged of a mortar attack near the area where the pier will eventually touch ground. No U.S. forces were present, however, and they were miles off shore -- beyond mortar range.

Biden has ordered U.S. forces to not step foot on the Gaza shore.

The pier will initially handle 90 trucks a day, but that number could go up to 150 trucks daily when it is fully operational. The United Nations said last week that the daily average number of trucks entering Gaza during April was 200 and that there had been a peak on Monday of 316.

A senior Biden administration official said last week that humanitarian aid coming off the pier will need to pass through Israeli checkpoints on land.

That is despite the aid having already been inspected by Israel in Cyprus before being shipped to Gaza. Israel wants to prevent any aid getting to Hamas fighters that boosts their war effort.

The prospect of checkpoints raises questions about possible delays even after aid reaches shore. The United Nations has long complained of obstacles to getting aid in and distributing it throughout Gaza.

The United Nations has appealed for $2.5 billion to try and meet the most urgent needs of the people living in the Gaza Strip between April and December.

Construction continues even as the U.S. is using diplomatic channels to try to push Hamas into a ceasefire agreement that if successful could allow for other methods to get in desperately needed humanitarian aid.