MarketWatch reported that the DoD has sent "prepare to deploy" orders to about 2,000 U.S. troops. According to one official, the troops won't be assigned to Israel but could be sent to other countries in the Middle East. Another DoD official clarified that the soldiers will be engaging in support roles such as aiding medical teams and explosive ordinance teams, and providing additional security at gate crossings.
In an Oct. 17 press release, DoD Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh confirmed the "prepare to deploy" order issued by U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. She added that the order "increases DoD's ability to respond quickly to the evolving security environment in the Middle East."
"No decisions have been made to deploy any forces at this time," clarified Singh. "The secretary will continue to assess our force posture and remain in close contact with allies and partners."
Austin has also ordered the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group to stay in the eastern Mediterranean Sea while waiting for additional instructions. It was approaching the end of a six-month deployment to the U.S. European Command area when it was redirected to the Middle East to prevent attempts to broaden the war, according to officials.
The orders came amid scores of Palestinians continuing to flee south from the Gaza Strip ahead of an Israeli ground invasion. Jerusalem's military action sought to eradicate Hamas, in retaliation for the terrorist group's Oct. 7 attack at a music festival in Israel. The group killed 1,400 people, majority of whom were civilians, in the incident. (Related: Israelis prepare ground invasion as Palestinians scramble to evacuate while IDF bombs continue to fall.)
Impending invasion could worsen Gaza humanitarian crisis
Apart from the 1,400 Israelis killed in the attack, at least 199 others, along with children and elderly people, were seized by Hamas and taken as hostages into Gaza, based on a report from Israeli officials.
With U.S. Navy warships and air assets bolstering its war, Israeli forces have been gathering along Gaza's border and training for what Israel stated would be a wide campaign to take apart Hamas.
A week of scorching airstrikes in Gaza by Israeli warplanes has demolished whole neighborhoods but has failed to stop more rocket attacks into Israel by Hamas.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has renewed promises of American support for Israel in its fight against Hamas and talked about America's efforts with the United Nations and others to give hostage rescue assistance in addition to humanitarian aid for civilians.
Meanwhile, several aid groups continue to warn that the approaching invasion could exacerbate what is fast becoming a humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, a densely populated strip of territory between Israel and Egypt which is home to nearly 2.3 million people.
The attack by Hamas, a militant group that has been named a terrorist organization by the U.S. and European Union, initiated what immediately became the bloodiest war between Palestine and Israel since the 1973 Arab-Israeli War.
More than 4,000 people have now died in the war, with the Palestinian Ministry of Health claiming 2,750 Palestinians have been killed and 9,700 wounded.
Follow WWIII.news for more news about the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Watch Harrison Smith of "The American Journal" commenting on the Israel conflict and the possible deployment of U.S. troops below.
This video is from the Ron Gibson Channel on Brighteon.com.
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World War 3 could be imminent as Israel-Hamas war escalates, experts warn.
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