Navy Weighs Building Base for 10,000 Near Gaza Without US Troops

The US military is exploring whether to build a temporary base capable of housing 10,000 people near the Gaza Strip as part of its push for a stabilization force of troops from other countries to monitor a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

The Navy is seeking a cost estimate from a list of pre-qualified companies for “a temporary, self-sustaining military base of operations capable of supporting 10,000 personnel and providing 10,000 square feet of office space for a period of 12 months,” according to a Request for Information sent to eligible contractors and seen by Bloomberg News. 

The Request for Information identifies the potential site as “near Gaza, Israel.” It was sent on Oct. 31, according to two people familiar with the matter who asked not to be named discussing private deliberations. Responses were due Nov. 3. 

The US has been seeking international support for a proposal to send foreign troops to Gaza to help secure the fragile truce between Israel and Hamas that was signed last month. Those troops, dubbed the International Stabilization Force, would work with Israel and Egypt to secure the territory and enable 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 basing international troops” that would be part of the force, according to US Central Command spokesman Tim Hawkins. “To be clear, no U.S. troops will be deployed into Gaza.”

A US official, who also asked not to be identified discussing the matter, said the request represents an early planning step for a potential base in southern Israel for the stabilization force. The US has already deployed more assets to region since President Donald Trump oversaw the signing of the ceasefire, including a command center with 200 US troops and international partners in southern Israel.

White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said the White House had not yet approved such a step, calling the document “a single piece of paper produced by random people within the military.”

Requests for Information are not a formal call for bids and don’t guarantee a future contract, though they offer a window into what federal agencies are hoping to source from private companies. Among the demands detailed in the contract are a “comprehensive security plan that includes procedures for access control, threat response, incident reporting, and mass casualty events.”

Asked about the prospect of a big US base being built, an Israeli military spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani, said on Tuesday he had nothing concrete to share. Israel relies on US military aid and equipment but has only rarely allowed a US military base on its soil and so far those bases have been small.

“We are working alongside the Americans and different partners on the future in Gaza,” Shoshani said. “There are different ideas on the table.”

Shomrim, a nonprofit news organization in Israel, reported earlier Tuesday that the US was planning a large base in the Gaza area to oversee the ceasefire. It cited Israeli officials who saw the preliminary plans.

The request says the contractor will “provide a complete turnkey solution,” meaning that it would take care of every aspect of the base’s construction and management. It goes on to detail that a contractor must offer three meals a day to all 10,000 personnel and take care of water and waste management, power generation, laundry service, a reliable communications network and a medical clinic.

The companies that are eligible for the contract are part of a contracting process called WEXMAC, or the Worldwide Expeditionary Multiple Award Contract, managed by the US Navy’s Naval Supply Systems Command. The contracting vehicle is typically used for international military work, but has been re-purposed to meet the Trump administration’s demand for more immigration detention space. 

The same process was used to award a $1.26 billion contract in July to build a 5,000-bed tent camp on an El Paso Army base. 

With assistance from Jen Judson, Magdalena Del Valle, Ethan Bronner and Tony Capaccio.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.