Pentagon Confirms U.S. Flying Surveillance Drones Over Gaza

U.S. Special Operations Forces are operating an estimated seven MQ-9 Reaper UAVs, conducting daily flights over the war-torn area in an effort to locate hostages.

Jack Daleo

Friday, November 03, 2023 at 02:36 PM ET

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An MQ-9 Reaper flies a training mission over the U.S. Air Force Nevada Test and Training Range in 2019. [Courtesy: U.S. Air Force]

Key Takeaways:

The U.S. military is playing a larger, previously undisclosed role in the Israel-Gaza conflict, primarily focused on hostage recovery efforts.
U.S. Special Operations Command has been flying unarmed MQ-9A Reaper surveillance drones over the Gaza Strip since the October 7 Hamas attack to gather intelligence for locating approximately 240 hostages.
The U.S. is also providing military advisors and Special Operations Forces on the ground in Israel to offer advice, assistance, and consultation on hostage recovery to Israeli partners.

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The U.S. military is playing a larger role in the most recent conflict in Israel and Gaza than previously thought.

On Friday, the Pentagon confirmed reports that forces from the U.S. Special Operations Command are flying unarmed surveillance drones over the Gaza Strip to assist in the recovery of hostages held by Hamas, of which there are thought to be around 240, including several Americans.