White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Wednesday that President Donald Trump has not ruled out or committed to sending U.S. troops to Gaza.
Trump announced during a joint press conference Tuesday evening that the U.S. will “take over” the Gaza Strip in order to end the Israel-Hamas war and supply “unlimited numbers of jobs and housing” for people in the area. Leavitt said that the president is ready to “rebuild” Gaza for the Palestinian people, though there has been no commitment to U.S. troops entering the region by foot to fight Hamas.
“The president is prepared to rebuild Gaza for Palestinians and all people in the region. Peace-loving people who want real economic development and opportunity in the region. This is a region that has been backed by Iranian-backed terrorists, Hamas, who have brutalized not just Israelis but Palestinians too. It is because of Hamas that you see those images on that screen, that Gaza has become a demolition site because of that brutal attack on Israel on October 7 [2023.] … And as for how that will be accomplished, the president and his team are talking with our allies in the region to consider next steps.”
“But should people be prepared to see U.S. military on the ground fighting a ground war against Hamas?” ABC News chief White House correspondent Mary Bruce, leading Leavitt to say there is no commitment to military action.
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Leavitt said the president will not “rule out” sending troops to Gaza in order to negotiate the matter.
“I think the president is very good when he’s making deals and negotiating not to rule out anything because he wants to rule out that leverage in negotiations,” Leavitt said. “And so I think that’s what he’s doing here.”
The president promised during Tuesday’s press conference that Palestinians can “live out their lives in peace” if the U.S. took control of the region.
“We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous, unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site, level the site, and get rid of the destroyed buildings, level it out, create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area, do a real job, do something different. Just can’t go back. If you go back, it’s going to end up the same way it has for 100 years,” Trump said alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Trump’s team coordinated with former President Joe Biden’s administration in getting a ceasefire deal reached between Israel and Hamas, which allowed for the release of several American hostages. State Department spokesperson Matt Miller said on Jan. 15 that Trump and his incoming team were “critical” in getting the deal reached.
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