Three U.S. troops suffered non-combat injuries in the effort to make a temporary pier off the coast of Gaza into a conduit for humanitarian aid, with one in critical condition at an Israeli hospital, U.S. officials said on Thursday.
The injuries were the first for U.S. forces during the latest operation to bring humanitarian aid to Palestinians.
The pier was announced by U.S. President Joe Biden in March and involved the military assembling the floating structure off the coast. Estimated to cost $320 million for the first 90 days and involve about 1,000 U.S. service members, it went into operation last week.
U.S. Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, the deputy commander of U.S. Central Command, told reporters that two of the troops had a sprained ankle and a minor back injury.
"Two were very minor, routine injuries. Those individuals returned to duty," Cooper said.
A third service member, injured on a ship at sea, was medically evacuated to a hospital in Israel, he said. A U.S. defense official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the individual was in critical condition.
