© AFPThe USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier in the Eastern Mediterranean.
The United States has been flying surveillance drones over Gaza in search of hostages taken by Hamas when the Palestinian group attacked Israel on October 7, two US officials said on Thursday.
The two US officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity,
said the US was flying intelligence-gathering drones over Gaza to assist with hostage location efforts.
One of the officials said they
had been carrying out the drone flights for over a week.
US officials have said 10 Americans who remain unaccounted for may be among the more than 200 people taken as hostages into Gaza, where they are believed to be held in Hamas' extensive tunnel network.
Israeli forces on Thursday encircled Gaza City - the Gaza Strip's main city - in their assault on Hamas, which resisted with attacks from underground tunnels.
Hamas fighters launched a surprise attack on Israel on October 7, killing 1,400 people, according to Israeli officials.
Israel's offensive on the Strip of 2.3 million has killed at least 9,061 people, according to Gaza health authorities.
Comment: One could be forgiven for not believing the 'hostage rescue' explanation as the reason for US involvement, because the evidence, and Israel's own admissions, reveal that Tel Aviv isn't particularly concerned with its own people being held hostage. Furthermore, since Israel has been bombing mostly civilian facilities and infrastructure, it's clear that their focus, as of right now, isn't really on Hamas at all. Instead, as official Israeli documents brazenly stated, their intention is drive the people of Gaza toward the border and out of Tel Aviv's concentration camp.
Moreover, the first official admissions of US involvement in their proxy war in Ukraine began as 'intelligence' assistance, until later when it became known that numerous US generals actually died on the battlefield:
Comment: One could be forgiven for not believing the 'hostage rescue' explanation as the reason for US involvement, because the evidence, and Israel's own admissions, reveal that Tel Aviv isn't particularly concerned with its own people being held hostage. Furthermore, since Israel has been bombing mostly civilian facilities and infrastructure, it's clear that their focus, as of right now, isn't really on Hamas at all. Instead, as official Israeli documents brazenly stated, their intention is drive the people of Gaza toward the border and out of Tel Aviv's concentration camp.
Moreover, the first official admissions of US involvement in their proxy war in Ukraine began as 'intelligence' assistance, until later when it became known that numerous US generals actually died on the battlefield: