US MQ-9 Drones Conduct Surveillance Missions Over Gaza During Israel-Hamas Conflict

The U.S. has been conducting surveillance missions over Gaza using MQ-9 drones in an effort to gather information about hostages held by Hamas and other militants. These missions began after Hamas' attack on Israel on October 7, which resulted in significant casualties. Approximately 240 hostages, including some American citizens, were taken by Hamas. The drones are not armed with weapons and are focused solely on surveillance.

The Pentagon, on November 3, acknowledged these flights and stated that they are also providing advice and assistance to support Israeli efforts in hostage recovery. Additionally, other unarmed U.S. military assets, such as RC-135 Rivet Joint signals intelligence aircraft, P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol and surveillance aircraft, and various ISR platforms, have been operating in the Middle East over the past year.

A U.S. Air Force RC-135 Rivet Joint aircraft was observed flying off the coast of Israel and Gaza recently, as per publicly available transponder data. Furthermore, assets like the E-2D Hawkeye and E/A-18 Growler aircraft are currently stationed on the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier in the eastern Mediterranean Sea.

A senior U.S. defense official stated on October 30 that their presence in the region is aimed at supporting any necessary requests to ensure the safety of U.S. forces, personnel, and interests across the region. In response to Hamas' attack, the British government also announced the deployment of P-8s as part of a larger force meant to provide practical support to Israel and its partners in the region.