 The German Army prepares to carry out a special operation in the Gaza region. The German government has decided to deploy some of the nation's top special forces units to Cyprus as it prepares for potential crisis situations in Israel, Gaza and the Middle East. The tabloid BUILD reported citing security sources. The German Army's special forces command has been deployed to the island nation in the eastern Mediterranean. BUILD said adding that the Navy's special forces unit, also known as combat swimmers, was deployed to the area as well. The federal police special forces unit specializing in rescuing hostages was sent there as well, the tabloid reported. Berlin is preparing for all scenarios amid a continued escalation between Israel and the Gaza-based Palestinian Hamas militant group. According to the publication, there is a double digit number of German citizens among the captives. The special forces could potentially be used to rescue them, the tabloid said, adding that the units could also be deployed to evacuate German citizens working in Gaza or even to help Germans get out of Lebanon if the conflict between Israel and Hamas spreads into its territory. All the necessary equipment as well as several military transport aircraft including the Airbus A400M Atlas and Lockheed C-130 Hercules were transported to Cyprus as well according to BUILD. The government had allegedly already informed the relevant parliamentary committee about its preparations, the media outlet said. We are ready for a cold start and prepared for all options, Berlin said. A cold start in the language of the German military means a high state of readiness that would allow the unit to be immediately deployed to a relevant area and become operational without any additional preparations.