US soldier dies of wounds during aid mission in Gaza - Israel News

An American soldier was seriously injured earlier this year while assigned to the From the Pentagon humanitarian aid operation off the coast of Gaza has failed.

Sergeant Quandarius Davon Stanley was treated at a long-term care facility after being injured in May while helping move relief supplies to a temporary pier built by the US militaryThe army reported this in a statement on Tuesday.

The Army did not specify the date of death, but the 23-year-old, of Columbia, S.C., died Oct. 31, according to an obituary posted online by the Jackson and McGill Funeral Home in Marion, S.C.

Stanley “was an instrumental and highly respected front-line leader… especially during the mission to provide humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza,” said Col. John “Eddie” Gray, commander of the 7th Transportation Brigade Expeditionary. “Our entire unit mourns along with his family.”

Injuries during the Gaza mission

It is not clear how Stanley and two other soldiers were injured in an accident on a ship near the Gaza coast around May 23. The ship was not docked at the pier.

Trucks carrying humanitarian aid from Jordan and international communities are transferred to the northern Gaza Strip, October 22, 2024 (credit: IDF SPOKESMAN’S UNIT)

At the time, Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, deputy commander of US Central Commandwhich oversees military operations in the Middle East, said three soldiers had minor wounds not sustained in combat, but one of them was taken to an Israeli hospital for an undisclosed matter.

CENTCOM subsequently said the soldier was in critical condition. CNN reported that the other two soldiers recovered from their injuries and returned to work on Monday.

Stanley, who had served in the Army as a motor carrier since July 2020, was later flown from Israel to Brooke Army Medical Center in Texas in critical condition.

According to the army statement, he was withdrawn from the army on October 25 due to his injuries.

The Gaza Pier became operational on May 17, but the mission was hampered by bad weather and logistical problems that repeatedly delayed the delivery of aid.

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Just two weeks after the pier began operating, officials were forced to suspend operations and move the pier from the shore to repair damage caused by rough weather.

The pier was again removed from the Gaza coast in late June due to bad weather and had been in the Israeli port of Ashdod for weeks when officials announced on July 17 that the operation was coming to an end.

Ministry of Defense officials characterized the estimated $230 million mission, which raised more than £1 million in aid, as a success. All told, the effort involved about 1,000 soldiers and sailors.

Stars and Stripes reporter Matthew Adams contributed to this report.