Defense Secretary Austin Lands in Israel as 1 Million Palestinians Ordered to Flee Northern Gaza

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin landed in Tel Aviv on Friday to meet with Israel’s wartime cabinet and review U.S. military aid to Israel as it prepares for a grueling and destructive ground offensive against Hamas in Gaza.

Austin follows Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who was in Israel on Thursday to see top government officials and to meet with American families affected by the Hamas terror attack and massacres — and who was in Jordan on Friday to meet with King Abdullah II and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. 

The defense secretary arrived as Israel ordered a complete evacuation of more than 1 million Palestinian civilians from northern Gaza  "for their own safety and protection," ahead of a likely ground offensive. 

Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007, called on Palestinians to "remain steadfast in your homes and to stand firm.”

The Oct. 7-10 Hamas raid on Israel killed an estimated 1,300 people, and the Islamist militant group’s gunmen abducted an estimated 130 people for use as hostages in Gaza. Palestinian officials said that at least 1,530 Gazans have died in Israeli airstrikes since Saturday. 

U.S. officials have been forthright in their support for Israel since the surprise attack rocked the Jewish state, and as footage and images of Hamas atrocities have proliferated on social media. 

A senior defense official told the Associated Press that the U.S. has already provided Israel with small-diameter bombs and interceptor missiles for its Iron Dome air defense system. Other munitions are expected to arrive Friday.

Austin has spoken nearly daily with Gallant, and directed the rapid movement of U.S. ships, intelligence support and other assets to Israel. 

The USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier strike group has moved to the eastern Mediterranean and a second carrier was expected to depart Friday from Virginia for the region.