US contemplating 'international force' regarding Gaza

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
2 Nov 2023 16:26
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White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby confirms that the US is contemplating “some sort of international presence” when the attacks wind down in the region.

Fighter jets fly over the aircraft carrier USS Dwight Eisenhower. (AFP)

A White House press briefing on Wednesday announced that US troops will not be deployed to Gaza, denying reports that they will be sent on a peacekeeping mission.

Upon asking White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby whether US forces would be sent to “stabilize the situation” in Gaza, he replied, “There's no plans or intentions to put US military troops on the ground in Gaza, now or in the future,” adding, “But we are… talking to our partners about what post-conflict Gaza should look like.”

Kirby confirmed that the administration is contemplating “some sort of international presence” when the attacks wind down in the region but as of yet, no decisions on the issue have been made.

This comes in response to a Bloomberg report that Washington and "Israel" were discussing whether to give “temporary oversight to Gaza to countries from the region, backed by troops from the US, UK, Germany and France.”

The report continued that the plans were still in development, but at least two other options were being taken into consideration, including involvement by the United Nations.

Kirby still mirrored the idea that Hamas “can’t be the future of governance in Gaza,” and when asked about the next steps for Gaza, he claimed officials “don’t have all the answers to that,” and insisted “Whatever it is – it can’t be Hamas.”

A 'helping hand'?

Dozens of US commandos are currently present in "Israel" aiding the IOF amid the Israeli war on Gaza in a number of roles, according to US Assistant Secretary of Defense Christopher P. Maier.

According to the Pentagon official, the US commandos are currently "helping the Israelis to do a number of things," although the main task, according to Maier, was to help the occupation identify the Israeli captives held by the Palestinian Resistance and their location.

Israeli media had earlier reported, on October 10, that US special forces were put on high alert in a nearby European country to take part in operations in Gaza to take back the captives.

Maier did not specify the number of US Special Operations forces currently operating in occupied Palestine, but other officials have said that the Pentagon has dispatched several dozen commandos.