White House spokesperson, Caroline Levitt, stated that the U.S. administration has not yet approved the step to establish a temporary military base near Gaza, as reported by Bloomberg. Sources indicated on Tuesday that the U.S. Navy is seeking cost estimates from several pre-qualified companies to build a ‘self-sufficient temporary military operations base capable of supporting 10,000 personnel and providing 10,000 square feet of office space for 12 months,’ according to a Request for Information sent on October 31 to qualified contractors and reviewed by Bloomberg.
It should be noted that Requests for Information are not official invitations for bids and do not guarantee a future contract, but they provide a glimpse into what federal agencies hope to obtain from private companies.
Two individuals familiar with the matter explained that the U.S. is seeking international support for a proposal to send foreign troops to Gaza to help secure the fragile truce between Israel and Hamas, which was signed last month. Among the detailed demands in the contract is a ‘comprehensive security plan that includes access control measures, threat response, incident reporting, and mass casualty situations.’
When asked about the possibility of building a large U.S. base, Israeli army spokesperson, Nadav Shoshani, stated that he has nothing tangible to provide. The Shomrim organization, a non-profit news organization in Israel, reported yesterday that America plans to establish a large base in the Gaza area to oversee the ceasefire, citing Israeli officials who reviewed the initial plans.
