Three U.S. soldiers reportedly sustained non-combat injuries on the temporary pier off the coast from Gaza on Thursday.
The U.S. military didn’t comment on one of the soldiers, who was taken to a local hospital reportedly with critical injuries. The other two, reportedly, sustained a sprained ankle and a back injury.
“The ‘Gaza pier’ is an incredibly stupid idea by Biden and more Americans will get injured or killed,” wrote Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.).
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) wrote that “America should not be the port authority of Gaza.”
Earlier in the day, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) called the pier “a disaster and a waste of money.”
“Joe Biden is putting our troops in serious danger to please the pro-Hamas wing of his party,” Cotton wrote.
Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, deputy commander of Central Command, told reporters on Thursday that “one of the service members was on a ship” but “did not provide details on the other two,” the Associated Press reported.
The AP added that, per Cooper, “two of the troops had already returned to duty, while a third was receiving care at an Israeli hospital.”
Senior U.S. officials have said that no U.S. boots would be on the ground in Gaza as part of the operation. The pier reportedly cost $320 million.