The U.S. military has been conducting unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) flights over Gaza in an effort to gather information about American and other hostages taken by the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas. This comes after Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel, resulting in the deaths of over 1,400 people, most of them Israeli civilians. The United States is also providing assistance to the Israeli government in their efforts to recover the hostages. Online flight trackers first noticed the UAV flights carrying out surveillance missions.
The MQ-9 Reaper UAV, primarily used for intelligence collection, has been employed by the U.S. Air Force in these operations. It has the ability to loiter at altitudes of 50,000 feet for more than 27 hours, equipped with sophisticated cameras, sensors, and radars. The Reaper can carry weapons such as air-to-ground missiles and has been purchased by various organizations and military forces around the world.
Recovering the hostages held by Hamas is a difficult task, as many of them may be held in the terrorist group’s extensive underground tunnel network. Hamas has a history of using civilians as human shields, further complicating the situation. The Biden administration has acknowledged the challenges involved and stated that there is no guarantee of success in securing the release of the remaining hostages. Efforts are ongoing, but communication with Hamas is difficult, making it impossible to provide a timeframe for their release.
In response to the attacks by Hamas, Israel’s military has surrounded Gaza City and initiated targeted attacks on the terrorist group. Hamas has been resisting Israel’s ground operation with hit-and-run attacks from their underground tunnels. The city has become the focus of Israel’s retaliation, as they aim to dismantle Hamas’s command structure. Israel has urged residents of Gaza’s north to evacuate to the south, but many remain trapped or fearful of continued airstrikes. The military has reported killing numerous Hamas terrorists exiting tunnels, and footage has shown soldiers and tanks advancing toward damaged buildings. Israeli reprisals have resulted in the deaths of thousands of people, according to the Palestinian health ministry, although these numbers are difficult to verify independently.