The Pentagon has removed about 120 U.S. personnel from Israel amid the ongoing violence there, saying they had been in-country for a planned military exercise.
Pentagon press secretary John Kirby confirmed the removal of the U.S. personnel. He said they departed on Thursday on a U.S. Air Force C-17 transport plane.
They had been in Israel to plan for a future bilateral exercise. Kirby said the conference they were attending was scheduled to end this week but the exit was accelerated by a few days.
please spread this. israel has turned off the internet and electricity in gaza. they are trying to silence them so they can continue committing mass genocide. continue talking about this and keep the people of palestine in your prayers.#GazaUnderAttack pic.twitter.com/OU4tmlhcpq
— amera askar (@askar_amera) May 15, 2021
'We made this decision to remove these individuals in coordination with our Israeli counterparts,' said Kirby told reporters at the Pentagon Thursday.
'These people from throughout the department were in Israel for a routine planning event,' he added, in reference to the military exercise.
He said they were removed 'out of an abundance of caution and good prudence' and that 'we ended that planning conference a little early and got them safely to Germany.'
There has been a dangerous escalation this week between Israel and Gaza's Hamas militant rulers. Hamas sent a heavy barrage of rockets deep into Israel on Thursday as Israel pounded Gaza with more airstrikes and shells and called up 9,000 more reservists who could be used to stage a ground invasion.
Israel continued with air and artillery attacks on Gaza Friday, and has positioned troops to the border with Gaza.
Latest updates: May 15
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) May 15, 2021
Israel’s bombardment in #Gaza continued for a fifth consecutive day, with Israeli air raids hitting a refugee camp where several Palestinians, including children, were killed.
Follow this thread for the latest https://t.co/YLmYJKYCer ⤵ pic.twitter.com/3tBYTpyEnQ
The move comes amid a series of strikes and counter strikes, plus some misinformation about the complex picture on the ground.
The Israel Defence Forces were able to trick Hamas into believing a ground invasion was underway after saying they were 'attacking in Gaza' overnight.
They were then able to obliterate a tunnel network knowing militants would be hiding underground waiting to ambush tanks and soldiers, reports in Israel claim.
Amid the escalations, the State Department is advising Americans to reconsider any travel they may have planned to Israel and the Palestinian territories due to increasing Israeli-Palestinian violence.
In a notice issued Thursday, the department raised its travel advisory for Israel, the West Bank and Gaza to Level 3 - 'reconsider travel.' It had previously been at Level 2, which recommends travelers 'exercise increased caution.'
The revised alert cited continuing rocket fire from Gaza into areas across southern and central Israel, including Jerusalem, Israel´s military response to the attacks and a 'marked increase' in violence and protests throughout Israel.
'Protests and violence may continue to occur, some with little or no warning,' it said.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
