US confirms first MQ-9 Reaper drone operation in Gaza Strip

On November 3, the US military admitted in a brief statement that it had deployed unarmed drones over Gaza. The Pentagon said the drones were used to help locate hostages held by the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas. US officials insisted that the military equipment was not supporting Israel’s ground campaign in the Gaza Strip.

Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Patrick Ryder said MQ-9 Reaper aircraft began conducting reconnaissance over Gaza after Hamas' bloody attack on Israel on October 7, in which gunmen took more than 200 hostages.

“To support hostage rescue efforts, the United States is conducting unarmed drone flights over Gaza, as well as providing information to assist Israel in conducting hostage rescue efforts,” said Brigadier General Ryder.

The admission came after journalists spotted MQ-9 Reaper drones flying over the Palestinian territories on flight tracking websites. While the aircraft can be armed to carry out airstrikes, they are also often used for surveillance due to their advanced sensors and ability to fly for more than 24 hours.

The missions marked the first time that US drones had operated over Gaza, according to multiple US officials quoted by the New York Times. However, they stressed that the flights were not in support of Israeli military operations on the ground. Instead, the primary goal was to monitor for signs of life and potentially relay information to the Israel Defense Forces.

Aviation researcher Amelia Smith said at least six MQ-9s were spotted south of Gaza, about 25 kilometers from where Israeli ground forces were fighting. Some of the drones were flying over Gaza for about three hours, at an altitude of 7,600 meters.

In the latest flare-up of fighting between Israel and Hamas, Washington has deployed thousands of troops to the Middle East, as well as an aircraft carrier strike group and other naval assets.

Washington said the move was aimed at preventing outside actors from entering the current conflict.

Despite earlier reports that the US military could play a peacekeeping role in Gaza after hostilities end, the White House has denied the reports, stressing that US military personnel will not operate in the territory now or in the future.

While Washington has strongly supported Israel's military action in Gaza, officials have in recent days proposed a "humanitarian pause" to allow aid shipments into the besieged enclave.

In a speech in Tel Aviv on November 3, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said a short-term ceasefire would help deliver humanitarian aid more effectively and sustainably. However, this proposal was quickly rejected by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Prime Minister Netanyahu said the Israel Defense Forces would continue to attack Gaza with “all their might,” noting that Israel rejected a temporary ceasefire that did not involve the release of hostages.