US claims drones over Gaza are for captive rescue, not for 'Israel'
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Multiple US officials state that this is the first time the drones have gone over Gaza as they emphasized that they were “not supporting Israeli military operations on the ground."
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A US soldier guides the MQ-9 Reaper drone as it lands at Subic Bay Freeport Zone on April 23, 2023. (AFP)
The US has come out with a new claim that the “unarmed” drone flights over Gaza have a purpose to help locate captives taken by Hamas, and US officials, cited by media, are saying that they are not intended to support Israeli operations.
In his statement on Friday, Pentagon spokesperson Brigadier General Pat Ryder confirmed that the drone flights “began after the October 7 attack by Hamas on Israel,” adding, “In support of hostage recovery efforts, the US is conducting unarmed UAV flights over Gaza, as well as providing advice and assistance to support our Israeli partner as they work on their hostage recovery efforts”.
This comes after journalists noticed MQ-9 Reaper drones over Gaza through flight-tracking websites, and even though the drones have the ability to conduct airstrikes, they are usually used for surveillance purposes and can remain in the air for 24 hours.
Multiple US officials cited by The New York Times state that this is the first time the drones have gone over Gaza as they emphasized that they were “not supporting Israeli military operations on the ground” and are intended to “monitor for signs of life and pass potential leads to the Israel Defense Forces.”
Read more: Sayyed Nasrallah: On the Lebanese front, all options are on the table
According to aviation researcher Amelia Smith to NYT, at least six MQ-9s, believed to be conducted by US special forces, have been witnessed over Gaza, and several have hovered over Gaza for around three hours at an altitude of 25,000 feet.
Too much confidence ahead of critical summit
This comes after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken claimed he was pained by images of innocent Palestinian children, and reiterated US support for the Israeli occupation by expressing that so long as the US stands, "Israel will not stand alone.”
This bold expression of solidarity was also communicated to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli President Isaac Herzog, along with the war cabinet.
Blinken has so far made two trips to "Tel Aviv" in less than a month, as the aggression against Palestinians continues to mount. The US is still funneling weapons for the occupation forces to use against the people of Gaza, and has also sent two aircraft carriers to the Eastern Mediterranean, which is evidence of its unconditional support to the occupation government that has murdered close to 4,000 children since October 7.
The office of Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi has announced that it will be convening a conference for Arab foreign ministers today in Amman with Blinken on the war on Gaza.
In addition to the Secretary-General of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, Hussein al-Sheikh, the foreign ministers of the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Egypt will also be attending the summit.
Jordan has announced that the official goal of the meeting is to “stop the Israeli war on Gaza and the humanitarian disaster that it is causing.”
