[Probably Hamas] Shoots at [TBD]

Strange news today about the US military’s JLOTS mission to Gaza:

Hamas is shooting at the “under construction” Gaza aid pier, and some reports are saying that American military equipment was damaged in the attack. ABC News reports today on that ongoing construction, saying that it’s well underway: “The construction appears to have been moving quickly over the last two weeks, judging from the images, and some officials say the port could become ready as early as a week from now.”

There’s just one interesting thing about that:

The US Army Transportation Corps vessels that carry the people who build the floating port aren’t there. The nearest army ships are moored near Crete. The temporary floating port is supposedly being built, and someone is shooting at it, but the people who build temporary floating ports haven’t shown up, or come close to showing up. One American ship is now off the coast of Gaza:

But it’s a navy “bringing stuff to the area” ship, not an army “building the port” ship. So Hamas fired mortars at somebody who’s building a port, but who? All of the reports say that IDF and UN officials were targeted in the attack, although one televised newscast suggested vaguely that the American military was directly attacked. The Times of Israel:

The mortar attack occurred as United Nations officials were touring the site with Israeli troops on the coast of central Gaza, the IDF says in response to a query on the incident.

The IDF says the UN officials were rushed to a shelter by troops amid the attack.

So the American-led construction, which is well underway and nearly complete, came under fire, but no Americans were there, and the American construction crews are 600 miles away. Be skeptical.

I’ve asked the DOD press office for information, and the daily Pentagon press briefing is scheduled for 2:30 ET. We’ll see.

By the way, one other detail from the Times of Israel:

No group claimed responsibility for the mortar fire, but a Hamas official told AP yesterday that the terror group will resist any foreign military presence involved with the port project.