Islamist militant group Hamas on Sunday accused the United States of taking part in "aggression against Palestinian people" by sending a Navy carrier strike group to the eastern Mediterranean Sea.

"These movements do not frighten our people nor their resistance, which will continue to defend our people and our holy places," Hamas spokesperson Hazem Kassem said in a statement.

The Navy carrier strike group includes the USS Gerald R. Ford, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, accompanied by guided missile destroyers and guided missile cruisers.

The US is also positioning more fighter jets to the Middle East, as a deterrent to Hezbollah in Lebanon and other militant groups aligned against Israel, officials say.