The USS Gerald R. Ford, the Navy's newest and most advanced aircraft carrier, and its approximately 5,000 sailors and deck of warplanes will be ready to assist Israel after the attack by Hamas that has left more than 1,000 dead on both sides, declared the American Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, on Sunday, after Americans were reported to be among those killed and missing. The carrier strike group will be accompanied by cruisers and destroyers in a show of force that is meant to be ready to respond to anything, from possibly interdicting additional weapons from reaching Hamas and conducting surveillance. The large deployment, which also includes a host of ships and warplanes, underscores the concern that the United States has in trying to deter the conflict from growing.
Preliminary reports indicate that at least four American citizens were killed in the attacks and an additional seven were missing and unaccounted for, according to a U.S. official. The numbers were in flux and could change as a fuller accounting is compiled., according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss initial reports received by the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem. Most, if not all, of those reported dead or missing are dual U.S.-Israeli citizens, the official said.
Along with the Ford, the U.S. is sending the cruiser USS Normandy, destroyers USS Thomas Hudner, USS Ramage, USS Carney, and USS Roosevelt and the U.S. is augmenting Air Force F-35, F-15, F-16, and A-10 fighter aircraft squadrons in the region. "The U.S. maintains ready forces globally to further reinforce this deterrence posture if required," Austin said in a statement. In addition, the Biden administration "will be rapidly providing the Israel Defense Forces with additional equipment and resources, including munitions. The first security assistance will begin moving today and arriving in the coming days," Austin said.
President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a telephone call Sunday, discussed "the taking of hostages by Hamas terrorists, including entire families, the elderly, and young children," according to a White House statement describing their conversation. Biden stressed that all countries "must stand united in the face of such brutal atrocities." On Capitol Hill, the House is preparing a bipartisan resolution that says it "stands with Israel" and condemns "Hamas’ brutal war." The resolution from the leaders of the House Foreign Affairs Committee is expected to be among the first items considered for voting once the House elects a new speaker. "Now is the time to show the world the United States firmly stands with our friend and ally Israel in our condemnation of this heinous attack by Iran-backed terrorists," said the committee chairman, representative Michael McCaul, a Republican from Texas.
A senior Hamas official says the militant group is holding more than 100 people captive after its unprecedented assault on Israel. Mousa Abu Marzouk made the remarks Sunday to the Arabic language news outlet al-Ghad. The figure is in addition to more than 30 people said to be held by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group.
During their rampage through southern Israel, militants dragged back into Gaza dozens of captives, among them women, children, and the elderly. Their precise number was not clear until the two militant groups made their announcements. Israel's military has said only that a "significant" number were abducted, without further detail.