US Considers Building Temporary Bases For International Forces In Gaza

Israeli soldiers from the Nahal Brigade in southern Gaza. (Source: IDF)

JAKARTA - The United States military is exploring the possibility of building a temporary base capable of hosting 10,000 people near the Gaza Strip, Palestine as part of its efforts to deploy stabilization troops from other countries to monitor the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

The US Navy is seeking cost estimates from a list of companies that have met the requirements for "temporary and self-sufficient military operations that are capable of supporting 10,000 personnel and providing office spaces of 9,000 square meters for 12 months," according to Requests for Information sent to contractors eligible and seen by Bloomberg News. , quoted from Al Arabiya 12 November.

The request for information identified a potential location as "close to Gaza, Israel." The request was sent on October 31, according to two people familiar with the matter and asked not to be named, who discussed personal considerations. The response is expected on November 3.

The US is known to be seeking international support for a proposal for sending international troops to Gaza to help secure a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas signed last month.

The International Stabilization Forces (ISF) will work closely with Israel and Egypt to secure the region and allow for rebuilding efforts after more than two years of war between Israel and Hamas.

"As a planning organization, the US military is currently working with international military partners to develop potential options for international troop bases," which will be part of the force, according to US CENTCOM spokesman Tim Hawkins.

"For more details, no US troops will be deployed to Gaza," he said.

A US official, who also asked not to be named when discussing the matter, said the request was the first step in planning a potential base in southern Israel for stabilization forces.

Uncle Sam's country is known to have deployed more assets to the region since President Donald Trump oversaw the signing of a ceasefire, including a command center with 200 US troops and international partners in southern Israel.

Separately, White House spokesman Krypto Leavitt said the White House had not approved the move, calling the document "a piece of paper made by random people within the military."

Meanwhile, Israeli military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani when asked about the prospect of building a major US base said it did not yet have concrete information to share.

The Request for Information (RFI) is not an official call for an offer and does not guarantee future contracts, despite providing an overview of what federal agencies expect from private companies.