U.S. Special Forces helping out IDF with Gaza operations, senior DoD official confirms

11/08/2023 / By Ramon Tomey

Members of the U.S. Special Forces (USSF) are present in the Gaza Strip and helping out the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

During an Oct. 31 special conference held in Washington, D.C., a senior official of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) confirmed the deployment of American forces to help their Israeli counterparts find hundreds of hostages abducted by Hamas. The terrorist group attacked the Nir Oz community in Israel during an Oct. 7 music festival, killing 1,400 and abducting at least 200.

“We’re actively helping the Israelis to do a number of things,” said Christopher Maier, assistant defense secretary for special operations and low-intensity conflict. A key objective for U.S. personnel deployed to the Gaza Strip is to “identify hostages, including American hostages,” he added.

Maier asserted that American military operatives have not been tasked with combat roles. However, they have been “in communication with Israeli forces to be briefed on the situation in Gaza for ‘what is going to be a very complex fight going forward.'” According to the Cradle, it remains to be seen if USSF activity will only be confined to hostage rescues.

Former DoD advisor Col. Douglas MacGregor disclosed on Oct. 26 that several USSF operators alongside IDF commandos were attacked by Hamas operatives. The American and Israeli commandos entered the Gaza Strip to conduct reconnaissance and determine potential ways to liberate the hostages. Israel quietly kicked off ground operations in Gaza the next day, shutting down communication in the strip and deploying more ground troops. (Related: “We must save Israel from itself,” Col. Douglas MacGregor warns in Tucker Carlson interview.)

But an Oct. 31 report said Hamas fighters launched an ambush at the city of Beit Hanoun in Gaza, killing American and Israeli soldiers. According to Al Jazeera correspondent Wael Al-Dahdouh, Hamas fighters let the soldiers enter a building in large numbers and then blew it up.

British, Canadian commandos also reportedly involved

The Cradle noted that American and Israeli defense officials are working closely to coordinate the ongoing ground invasion of the Gaza Strip. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has reportedly been holding discussions with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant almost every day.

But aside from American forces, commandos from other nations – such as those from the U.K. and Canada – have also aided Israel in its invasion of Gaza. The British government has issued notices to the media to suppress reports of the U.K. Special Forces (UKSF) being present in Gaza.

The Socialist Worker, the newspaper of the British Socialist Workers Party, first disclosed this development on Oct. 28. It reportedly received a “D Notice” from the Defense and Security Media Advisory Committee (DSMA) requesting that it redact information relating to the operations of the SAS. Downing Street issued D Notices to veto the publication of news damaging to the British state’s interests.

“Reports have started to appear in some publications claiming that [the] UKSF [has been] deployed to sensitive areas of the Middle East, and then linking that deployment to hostage rescue/evacuation operations,” said the email by DSMA Secretary Brig. Geoffrey Dodds.

As of writing, UKSF troops are currently in Cyprus on standby for developments in Gaza and the wider region. According to the Sun, the UKSF soldiers are “braced to free [British] citizens trapped in the bloodbath” in Gaza. Around 200 Britons are trapped in the region, the tabloid added.

The Sun noted that the troops are primarily focused on the Gaza Strip. “But officials fear the war could spread, trapping more [Britons] in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula and Lebanon.”

Moreover, members of the Canadian Special Operations Forces Command (CANSOFCOM) are also in Israel to help Canada’s embassy in the country with “contingency planning.” This development was confirmed by a spokesperson from the Canadian Department of National Defense. In an earlier statement, Canadian National Defense Minister Bill Blair said 300 CANSOFCOM members are now in the region with a task force headquartered in Cyprus.

Visit WWIII.news for more stories about the ongoing conflict in Israel.

Watch former Rep. Ron Paul (R-KY) discuss the prospect of U.S. troops being deployed to Gaza on the “Ron Paul Liberty Report.”

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