U.S. Army soldier dies after serving Gaza pier mission
A soldier who was injured amid last summer’s Gaza pier mission recently died, the U.S. Army confirmed.
Sgt. Quandarius Davon Stanley, 23, passed away on Oct. 31, according to an online obituary. He was one of three soldiers injured during the Gaza pier mission, which involved providing humanitarian aid to Gazans amid the Israel-Hamas war.
The Biden administration had sought to create a temporary pier to facilitate bringing aid into Gaza. The effort, which began in May and ended in July, cost nearly $230 million and delivered significantly less aid than it had promised.
Bad weather and miscalculations had contributed to the mission’s failures, though the military considered it a success.
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Quandarius Davon Stanley, who served during the Gaza pier mission, passed away after receiving critical injuries over the summer. (Getty Images / U.S. Army)
In a statement provided to Reuters, the Army confirmed Stanley’s death. The young soldier had recently retired from the military and was receiving long-term medical care.
“Stanley was an instrumental and well respected first line leader in the 7th Transportation Brigade Expeditionary (TBX), especially during the mission to provide humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza,” Colonel John Gray, the commander of the unit, said.
In June, the deputy commander of U.S. Central Command reported that two soldiers on the mission suffered a sprained ankle and a minor back injury, respectively.
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Humanitarian aid is lifted by a crane operated by Soldiers assigned to the 7th Transportation Brigade (Expeditionary) from a Navy causeway at the Port of Ashdod, Israel. (Malcolm Cohens-Ashley/U.S. Army Central via Getty Images)
The official noted that the third service member – who was not named at the time – was injured while supporting the mission and was evacuated to an Israeli hospital.
“We’re clear eyed and we continue to look at force protection all day, every day and as it stands now we assess the operations can continue,” U.S. Vice Admiral Brad Cooper said.
US soldiers stand on the pier as the USAV SP4 James A. Loux casts off from Joint Base Langley-Eustis during a media preview of the 7th Transportation Brigade deployment in Hampton, Virginia, on March 12, 2024. (ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP via Getty Images)
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Fox News Digital reached out to the U.S. Army for comment, but did not immediately hear back.
Reuters contributed to this report.
