Gaza, the pier, and the unresolved question of a future for civilians
January 26, 2026•1,477 words
The destruction of large portions of Gaza, the deployment of a temporary U.S. military pier in 2024, restrictions on humanitarian and press access, limited border movement, and parallel diplomatic activity have intensified international concern that Palestinians could face long term or permanent displacement.
U.S. and Israeli officials deny any plan to relocate Gaza’s population. Critics argue that the cumulative effect of these developments has created conditions in which displacement becomes increasingly plausible, even without a formal policy announcement.
A territory made unlivable
More than 1.7 million Palestinians have been displaced inside Gaza since the war began, according to United Nations estimates. Large sections of housing, hospitals, water systems, and electrical infrastructure have been damaged or destroyed.
The scale of bombardment has been extraordinary. Reporting cited by Anadolu Agency estimates that the volume of explosives used in Gaza exceeds the combined tonnage dropped on European cities such as Dresden, Hamburg, and London during World War II.
The United States has supplied Israel with large quantities of heavy munitions, including thousands of 2,000 pound bombs, according to Reuters.
Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/us-has-sent-israel-thousands-2000-pound-bombs-since-oct-7-2024-06-28/
Israeli forces have also employed large scale truck bombs in dense urban areas. The Straits Times reported that multi ton explosive laden vehicles were used in Gaza City, flattening entire blocks.
The bombardment has left Gaza strewn with explosive remnants of war and unexploded ordnance. Explosives experts told Reuters that the density of buried munitions may take years or decades to clear safely.
Source: https://www.reuters.com/graphics/ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS/GAZA-ORDNANCE/byvrxbenwve/
Aid agencies warn that these conditions have contributed to Gaza being described as functionally uninhabitable.
The U.S. floating pier
On March 7, 2024, the United States announced it would deploy a temporary floating pier off Gaza’s coast as part of a Joint Logistics Over the Shore operation, commonly referred to as the Gaza floating pier.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaza_floating_pier
The pier was assembled offshore near central Gaza, close to Deir al Balah, and became operational on May 17, 2024. U.S. officials said it delivered millions of pounds of aid. Humanitarian organizations countered that maritime delivery could not substitute for fully opened land crossings.
Operations were repeatedly disrupted by weather and security conditions. The mission ended on July 17, 2024, after roughly two months of intermittent use.
The deployment resulted in serious injury. Army Sgt. Quandarius Davon Stanley was critically injured in May 2024 while supporting the operation.
After months of treatment, Stanley had recently begun showing signs of improvement, according to family accounts reported by The Washington Post. He was medically retired from the Army on Oct. 25, 2024, and died six days later.
A private autopsy commissioned by his mother later raised alarming questions about his final moments. The report found markedly elevated levels of a medication used to treat involuntary movements. The pathologist concluded the toxicity likely caused his death. Alcohol was also detected in his bloodstream, a finding described as bewildering because Stanley was receiving nutrition exclusively through a gastric feeding tube.
Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/05/26/quandarius-stanley-gaza-pier-death/
After the mission ended, U.S. officials said the modular pier components were transported to the Israeli port of Ashdod and placed into storage rather than returned to the United States. Because Ashdod lies a short distance from Gaza, the system remains positioned for potential redeployment in the eastern Mediterranean.
Civilians directed to the same coastline
The pier was assembled offshore along Gaza’s central coastline, near areas later designated by Israeli authorities as evacuation or humanitarian zones.
Throughout the war, Israeli military orders repeatedly directed civilians toward southern and coastal areas, including the al Mawasi corridor. Hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians sought shelter there despite limited access to housing, sanitation, clean water, and medical care.
Humanitarian organizations warned that concentrating civilians in these areas created severe risks, particularly as active military operations continued nearby.
Proposed camp in southern Gaza
Reporting by Reuters indicates that Israel has cleared land in southern Gaza near Rafah for construction of a large camp that could house hundreds of thousands of Palestinians.
According to retired Brigadier General Amir Avivi, who advises Israeli military planning groups, the site would include surveillance and biometric systems and could be used to house Palestinians who remain inside Gaza or those seeking to leave through Egypt.
Avivi said the facility could accommodate large populations under controlled movement. Hamas condemned the proposal as a form of forced displacement. Israeli officials have not formally confirmed construction plans but acknowledged preparations for population management near Rafah.
Restrictions on humanitarian organizations
International medical organizations have repeatedly warned that restrictions on humanitarian access have made sustained civilian care nearly impossible.
Doctors Without Borders, also known as Médecins Sans Frontières, reported that its operations were repeatedly suspended or severely limited due to military activity, evacuation orders, and restrictions on staff movement.
Source: https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/latest/gaza
Reuters has reported that multiple aid groups faced visa delays and access restrictions that sharply reduced humanitarian capacity.
Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-gaza-aid-restrictions-humanitarian-groups-2024/
Israeli authorities say such measures are necessary for security. Aid organizations deny allegations of militant ties and continue to call for unrestricted humanitarian access.
Restrictions on press access
Foreign journalists have largely been barred from entering Gaza independently since the war began.
Press freedom organizations say the lack of access has made independent verification of events extremely difficult.
Source: https://cpj.org/2024/12/journalists-killed-gaza-israel-war/
Source: https://rsf.org/en/gaza-deadliest-conflict-journalists
Dozens of Palestinian journalists have been killed, making Gaza one of the deadliest conflicts for media workers in modern history.
Rafah crossing and movement
Israel agreed to reopen the Rafah border crossing under pressure from U.S. and Arab mediators.
According to The Times of Israel, the reopening was imposed by mediators rather than initiated by Israel.
CNN reported that the initial reopening was marked by confusion, shifting daily quotas, and far fewer crossings than expected. Israeli officials initially suggested roughly 150 Palestinians might be allowed to leave Gaza daily while only about 50 would be permitted to enter. Egyptian reporting cited different numbers, and actual crossings were far lower, with only dozens crossing on early reopening days.
Source: https://archive.ph/EGNlV
Many medically evacuated Palestinians who had prior approval to return were reportedly barred from reentering Gaza. Health officials reported that approximately 20,000 Palestinians were awaiting medical evacuation, with about 1,000 deaths occurring while patients waited for travel approval.
Source: https://archive.ph/EGNlV
Palestinians returning through Rafah described lengthy multi layer security screenings involving Egyptian authorities, European Union monitors, Palestinian officials, and Israeli forces. Some travelers reported confiscation of belongings and strict limitations on what could be carried across the border. Israeli authorities denied mistreatment and stated that security screenings followed previously agreed border procedures.
Source: https://archive.ph/EGNlV
Looking toward 2026
The U.S. military is preparing to deploy a large contingent of Navy medical personnel, including nurses, to Naval Station Rota in Spain in late spring and early summer of 2026, according to military personnel being assigned to the deployment.
Rota has historically served as a major transit hub, including during the 2021 U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. The Pentagon has not publicly linked the deployment to evacuation planning.
Somaliland and external diplomacy
In late 2025, Israel formally recognized Somaliland, a breakaway region of Somalia that has sought international recognition since 1991.
Reuters reported that the move raised regional concern amid speculation about future logistics or migration arrangements, though both Israel and Somaliland denied any agreement to resettle Palestinians.
Reconstruction without return
At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Jared Kushner, a senior adviser to President Donald Trump, presented a vision for large scale redevelopment in Gaza.
According to The Times of Israel, the presentation included high rise construction and economic redevelopment with visible results discussed within three years.
Critics noted the absence of publicly released plans addressing ordnance clearance, civilian return, land restitution, or legal protections.
Mass graves and legal scrutiny
Mass graves discovered near hospitals and medical sites have drawn alarm from United Nations officials and human rights investigators.
In January 2024, the International Court of Justice ruled that genocide claims brought by South Africa against Israel were plausible enough to warrant provisional measures aimed at preventing further civilian harm.
Source: https://www.icj-cij.org/node/203447
The court did not rule on guilt. Israel rejects the allegations.
Legal experts note that under international law, intent may be inferred from patterns of conduct rather than formal declarations.
The unresolved question
As Gaza remains saturated with unexploded ordnance, humanitarian access remains limited, borders remain tightly controlled, and reconstruction plans circulate abroad, the central question remains unanswered.
If civilians cannot safely return, rebuild, receive medical care, or be reliably seen by the outside world, displacement risks becoming permanent rather than temporary.
U.S. officials maintain they oppose forced displacement. Yet the conditions shaping Gaza’s future continue to evolve faster than any political assurances.
Whether Gaza will be rebuilt with its people, or without them, remains unresolved.