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A photo of rockets intercepting each other in the night sky.
Missiles launched from the Iron Dome defense system attempting to intercept a rocket fired from the Gaza strip.

MAHMUD HAMS/AFP via Getty Images

  • The US is sending munitions, aircraft carriers, and fighter jets toward Israel after the Hamas attacks. 
  • The aid package includes the newest and most advanced aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford. 
  • Specific munitions are uncertain, but Israel needs weapons for their Iron Dome defense system.

After the surprise attacks on Israel by the Palestinian militant group Hamas over the weekend, the US has been swift in its response and providing aid.

On October 7, Hamas militants launched a surprise attack on Israel, killing hundreds of civilians and abducting others. Israel responded with a series of airstrikes throughout the Gaza Strip.

Some 1,000 Israelis had been killed as of Tuesday, with another 3,400 injured, Israel's embassy in the US said. Gaza's health ministry reported at least 830 Palestinians had been killed, with at least 4,250 injured.

The US contributes $3 billion annually to its ally in the Middle East and will bolster that support by sending additional munitions and redirecting fighter jets and aircraft carriers toward Israel. Most notably, the USS Gerald R. Ford, the newest US aircraft carrier, is being directed from its station in the Mediterranean toward Israel.

Here's what the US is providing to and around Israel amid the conflict.

The USS Gerald R. Ford, the US Navy's newest and most advanced aircraft carrier to date.
A photo large aircraft carrier sailing through a fjord.
The USS Gerald R. Ford in a fjord in Oslo.

STIAN LYSBERG SOLUM/NTB/AFP via Getty Images

The supercarrier, out on its first full deployment, is now moving toward Israel as a show of support from the US, as Insider previously reported. 

Included in the USS Gerald R. Ford strike force are a number of other cruisers and destroyers.

The USS Normandy, a Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser.
A photo of the USS Normandy.
The US Navy Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Normandy getting underway for deployment as part of the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group.

U.S. Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Colbey Livingston/Handout via REUTERS

The USS Normandy can fire missiles to strike land targets or fire missiles to defend against aircraft or incoming missiles.

The USS Thomas Hudner, one of four Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers in the fleet.
The USS Thomas Hudner
The USS Thomas Hudner in the Bosphorus on its way to the Mediterranean Sea in 2021.

REUTERS/Murad Sezer

The USS Thomas Hudner provides both offensive and defensive capabilities and can act independently or as part of a larger strike force. 

The USS Ramage, another Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer.
A photo of a large white battleship
The USS Ramage in the Arabian Gulf.

REUTERS/Specialist 2nd Class Miguel Angel Contreras/U.S. Navy/Handout

The USS Ramage similarly provides offensive and defensive capabilities for the strike force.

The US Navy destroyer USS Carney.
A photo of a naval destroyer in the Ocean with a bridge in the background.
The US Navy destroyer USS Carney on its way to the Mediterranean Sea.

REUTERS/Yoruk Isik.

The USS Carney is another Arleigh Burke-class destroyer and was first launched in 1994. The ship has since been upgraded in 2009 and 2016, where it received a new cannon and missile launcher.

The USS Roosevelt, designed to operate independently in a high-density, multi-threat environment.
A photo of a large battleship sailing in water with a city in the background.
The USS Roosevelt, a US Navy ship, sets sail in the Bosphorus.

REUTERS/Murad Sezer/File Photo

The USS Roosevelt is the fourth Arleigh-Burke-class guided-missile destroyer in the fleet.

Several F-35 fighter jets, considered to be the most advanced fighter jet in the world.
A photo of an F35 fighter jet landing on a runway.
F-35A Lockheed Martin fighter jet lands on a motorway.

NTB/Ole Andreas Vekve via REUTERS

The US is also augmenting several of its Air Force operations in the region, including F-35 fighter jets.

The US is deploying several of the stealth fighters to help deter Iran, a regional adversary that backs Hamas and Hezbollah.

Insider previously reported about 20-25 fighters would head to the region and be tasked with deterring the expansion of the war and preventing potential Iranian aggression. 

Several F-15 fighter jets.
A photo of an F15 fighter jet in the air.
An Israeli F-15 fighter jet takes off during a joint international aerial training exercise.

REUTERS/Amir Cohen

F-15s are extremely maneuverable, tactical fighters designed to give the Air Force an upper hand in air-to-air combat. 

Several F-16 fighter jets, designed for both air-to-air combat as well as air-to-ground combat.
A photo of an F-16 Fighter jet taking off from a runway
An F-16 fighter jet at the Volkel Air Base.

REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw

The F-16 is a versatile and lightweight fighter.

Several A-10 fighter jets, designed to provide close air support to ground forces.
A photo of the A10 fighter jet.
A US Air Force A-10 fighter aircraft stands during a media day.

Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/picture alliance via Getty Images

They're designed to be used against maritime attacks and ground targets such as tanks and other armored vehicles.

Israel reportedly requested interceptors and precision-guided munitions.
A photo of rockets being intercepted by other rockets in the night sky.
Rockets fired from Gaza City being intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome defense system.

EYAD BABA/AFP via Getty Images

The specific munition being sent to Israel is unclear, but Israel may have requested interceptors and precision-guided munitions. The interceptors contribute to Israel's Iron Dome defense system, which targets rockets in flight.

Al Jazeera reported that $2 billion worth of US munitions had been pre-supplied to be used in case of emergencies in Israel.

Correction: October 11, 2023 — An earlier version of this story incorrectly described the source of the Israeli death and injury estimates. The Israeli Embassy in Washington provided the death estimate, and the Israeli health ministry, which is not in Washington, provided the injury estimate. The story was updated with the embassy's Tuesday estimates for those killed and injured.

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Military & Defense, Features, news-visual-feature, israel-palestine, Gaza, hamas, Israel
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Here's the military support the US is sending toward Israel, from US Navy ships…