A senior Pentagon official has reiterated that the United States will not deploy troops in Gaza, dismissing reports in Israeli media that Washington is planning to build a $500 million military base near the territory.
"Reports circulating in Israeli media are inaccurate," the official told Anadolu Agency, speaking on condition of anonymity.
"As a planning organisation, US military personnel are currently working with international military partners to develop potential options for basing international troops that are part of a future International Stabilization Force (ISF)."
"The ISF’s formation will support the President’s Gaza Peace Plan," the official added.
"To be clear, no US troops will be deployed into Gaza. Any reporting to the contrary is false."
Israeli outlets Ynet and Shomrim earlier reported that the US was preparing to construct a large-scale military base capable of hosting several thousand personnel near the Gaza border.
The newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, citing unnamed Israeli officials, said the facility would mark "a significant escalation of US activity in Israel" and would be "the first large-scale American military installation on Israeli territory."
It added that Washington had already installed a THAAD missile defence system during Israel’s two-year genocide in Gaza, which was used to intercept Iranian missiles and drones during a 12-day conflict.
An Israeli official told the newspaper that "the establishment of an American base on Israeli soil shows just how determined Washington is to be involved in Gaza and the broader Israeli-Palestinian conflict."
Currently, around 200 US military personnel are stationed at the US-backed Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC) in Kiryat Gat, southern Israel, to oversee the ceasefire.
The centre is expected to take full control of humanitarian aid distribution in Gaza, replacing Israel’s COGAT mechanism, according to Israeli officials.
The Gaza ceasefire, in place since October 10, is based on a 20-point plan proposed by US President Donald Trump.
The ISF, composed of volunteer nations, is intended to help stabilise Gaza as Israel stages a phased withdrawal.
Phase one of the deal includes the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, while later stages envisage Gaza’s reconstruction and a new governing mechanism without Hamas.
