US sends warships and fighter jets to support Israel

The United States sent warships and fighter jets to support Israel on Sunday night in a show of strength against Hamas.

Joe Biden deployed USS Gerald R. Ford, the US Navy’s most advanced aircraft carrier, six other ships and a number of advanced jets to the Eastern Mediterranean, as Israel’s allies, including the UK, rallied to its defence.

The move raises tensions in the region, with Iranian intelligence officials accused of planning Hamas’s surprise terror attack on Israel that saw 700 killed and more than 100 taken hostage.

At least 260 are feared to have been massacred at a rave in the desert in the south of the country attended by Israelis and foreigners.

In a televised address from the White House, Mr Biden said: “In my administration, support for Israel’s security is rock solid and unwavering

“We’ll make sure that they have the help their citizens need and they can continue to defend themselves.”

Rishi Sunak condemned the attacks as an “act of terror” as he offered British intelligence to help Israel identify Hamas targets.

The Prime Minister told Benjamin Netanyahu that the UK was ready to provide “diplomatic or security support” as he held a call with Germany, France and the US on Sunday to coordinate their response.

Olaf Scholz, the German chancellor, warned of “incalculable consequences for the whole region” if the conflict escalated, and urged other hostile groups not to intervene.

The West’s response came as Israel launched air strikes on 120 Hamas targets in northern Gaza, likely ahead of it carrying out a ground invasion.

The Israeli Defence Force said some 50 fighter jets struck the Beit Hanoun neighbourhood, a “nest of terror” used by Hamas as a staging area for attacks on Israel.

More than 800 targets in the Gaza Strip have been struck by Israeli jets since the war began, a spokesman added, while Hamas has so far fired at least 5,000 rockets at Israel. The Palestinian health ministry said 413 people were killed and 2,300 injured in Israeli counter attacks on Sunday.

Dozens of Israeli tanks were seen heading towards the Gaza border on Sunday, further evidence that a major ground assault could be imminent. However, troops appeared to be still battling Hamas terrorists inside Israel late into Sunday.

At least 100 Israeli hostages, including small children and the elderly, were taken to Gaza after Hamas gunmen stormed across the border and slaughtered civilians there.

Hamas confirmed that it had scattered the hostages throughout the Gaza Strip as human shields in the hopes of deterring a major Israeli air assault or ground incursion.

It was also confirmed that Nathanel Young, a 20-year-old British man serving in the IDF, was among the 700 killed in Hamas’s attack, with a further 1,864 wounded.

Among the dead on the Israeli side are around 50 soldiers, including a decorated commander of Israel’s elite Ghost unit and many young conscripts, including teenagers.

There are fears that hundreds of Israelis and foreigners had been massacred in a single Hamas attack on a rave party in the south, amid reports that 260 bodies were found at the site.

The US carrier strike group deployed to the Eastern Mediterranean includes the USS Gerald R. Ford, a Navy cruiser and four destroyers that were recently conducting exercises with Italian forces in the Ionian Sea.

Lloyd Austin, the US defence secretary, said the Pentagon would also increase its fighter jet presence in the region and would “further reinforce this deterrence posture if required”.

On Sunday, Iranian security officials were accused of planning the attack with Hamas and giving approval for it to take place.

Hamas and Hizbollah officials told the Wall Street Journal that Iran had begun planning the attack in August, although Hamas spokesman said the group acted alone.

The Iranian president also urged other Muslim countries to “support the Palestinian nation” by uniting against Israel, raising the prospect of further proxy conflicts.

Britain’s offer to share intelligence came after the Hamas attacks on Saturday appeared to catch the Israeli security forces unaware, in what some Israeli commentators have dubbed a major intelligence failure.

Israel is not part of the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing network, which is made up of the UK, US, Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

However, successive UK governments have long seen Israel as a close ally, a reality underscored by the widespread approval of military equipment exports, including small arms ammunition, helmets, riot gear, and military diving equipment.

On Sunday Mr Sunak ordered government buildings to fly the Israeli flag, which was also projected over Downing Street in a show of solidarity.