US and partners discussing who would govern Gaza if Hamas is defeated, White House says

White House says it will not put US troops on the ground in Gaza

Palestinians walk in the street market of Jabaliya refugee camp, northern Gaza Strip, after an Israeli air strike. AP

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The White House on Wednesday said it was in talks with partners to determine who might govern the Gaza Strip in the event Israel succeeds in dislodging Hamas.

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Hamas cannot continue to run Gaza.

“We do believe that Hamas cannot be the future of governance in Gaza, they can't,” Mr Kirby told reporters aboard Air Force One.

“What comes after the conflict, we don't have all the answers yet but we are working with our partners in the region to explore what governance in Gaza can and should look like.”

Mr Kirby said the US has no plans to put any troops on the ground in Gaza now or in the future.

However, Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the matter, reported that the US and Israel are discussing the possibility of creating a multinational force to govern Gaza that may involve US troops.

In the wake of the October 7 Hamas attacks in which militants killed about 1,400 people, Israel has said it will eradicate the group.

Its retaliatory strikes and ground incursions have so far killed about 8,800 people in the Gaza Strip, according to Palestinian tallies.

On Tuesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US and other countries were looking at a “variety of possible permutations” as to who would govern Gaza.

The latest from the Israel-Gaza war – in pictures

Palestinians check the damage at the site of Israeli strikes on houses in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip. Reuters

Israeli soldiers and military vehicles near the border with Gaza. EPA

Palestinians injured in Israeli air raids arrive at Nasser Medical Hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza. Getty Images

Protesters call for a ceasefire and the release of hostages held by Hamas since the October 7 attack. AFP

The protest was held near the headquarters of the Israeli Defence Ministry in Tel Aviv. AFP

Smoke and flames rise from buildings after an Israeli strike on Gaza City. AFP

Destruction in Gaza City after an Israeli air strike. AFP

A wounded Palestinian is taken into Al Shifa hospital after Israeli air strikes on Gaza City. AP

Israelis at a cemetery in Holon during a funeral take cover as a siren warns of incoming rockets fired from the Gaza Strip. AP

Posters of hostages abducted by Hamas form part of an installation consisting of 224 light pillars erected by the Jerusalem municipality outside Teddy Stadium. AFP

Supporters of Palestine hold a rally in New York's financial district to demand that American financial institutions stop financing weapons manufacturing. AFP

Army rescue crews assess the damage after a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip hit a building in Rishon LeTsiyon, Israel. Getty Images

Israeli strikes as seen from a tent camp sheltering displaced Palestinians. Reuters

Israeli armoured vehicles take part in an operation, as the conflict between Israel and Hamas continues, at a location given as the northern Gaza Strip. Reuters

A Palestinian man is comforted as he mourns the death of his daughter and his wife, who were killed by Israeli strikes. Reuters

Satellite view of damaged areas in the Beit Hanoun district of Gaza as a result of fighting between Israel and Hamas. Reuters

Beit Hanoun was hit by Israeli missiles. Reuters

Two brothers on a stretcher after being rescued from beneath the rubble of a destroyed area in Gaza. EPA

Israeli security forces gather along a cordoned-off street where an apartment building was hit by a rocket fired from Gaza, in Rishon LeZion, near Tel Aviv. AFP

Rescuers in front of an apartment building hit by a rocket in the Israeli city of Rishon LeZion. AFP

Red Crescent Society employees and volunteers handle humanitarian aid bound for Gaza at a warehouse in Arish, Egypt. EPA

Men lower one of the coffins during the funeral of British-Israelis Lianne Sharabi and her daughters Noiya Sharabi, 16, and Yahel Sharabi, 13, in Kfar Harif, Israel. EPA

An Israeli soldier in a ruined house in the kibbutz of Beeri, near the border with Gaza. EPA

The aftermath of wide-scale strikes, which Israel says struck Hamas emergency operational apparatus, including war rooms, infrastructure and military headquarters, in Gaza. Reuters

Palestinians search for casualties after Israeli attacks on houses in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip. Reuters

Rescuers look for casualties in Khan Younis. Reuters

Palestinian Ali Daba and his wife have separated their children and given them bracelets to help identify them in case they are killed in Israeli strikes. Their daughter shows her bracelet at their shelter in Khan Younis. Reuters

In Tel Aviv, teddy bears with their eyes covered and signs of injury go on show to highlight the young children and babies missing, believed to be being held by Hamas. Getty

Palestinians near the rubble of a building following overnight Israeli strikes on the Rafah refugee camp in the southern Gaza Strip. AFP

Members of the Palestine Red Crescent Society distribute aid in Deir Al Balah, in the Gaza Strip. Reuters

Pro-Israel, left, and pro-Palestine protesters face off during a demonstration in reaction to the Gaza conflict, in central Atlanta, Georgia. EPA

Orit Meir, the mother of Almog Meir Jan who was taken hostage by Hamas while attending the Nova festival in Israel, at the family's home in Or Yehuda. Reuters

A soldier puts on protective gear in Ramle, Israel, as he prepares to identify those killed by Hamas during the October 7 attack. Getty Images

Palestinians wounded in Israeli air strikes arrive at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza. Getty Images

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, centre, speaks with the father of one of the hostages held by Hamas, before a UN Security Council meeting in New York. EPA

French President Emmanuel Macron, left, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas attend a meeting in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah. EPA

Survivors of Israel's bombardment of Gaza being treated at a trauma ward at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis. AFP

Smoke rises after an air strike on Gaza, as seen from southern Israel. Reuters

A woman holds placards identifying one of the Israeli hostages held by Hamas during a demonstration in Tel Aviv. AFP

“We can’t have a reversion to the status quo with Hamas running Gaza,” Mr Blinken, who will travel to Israel on Friday, said at a Senate hearing.

“We also can’t have – and the Israelis start with this proposition themselves – Israel running or controlling Gaza.”

State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told journalists on Wednesday that alternatives were under discussion.

“What the alternative is between those two poles is a matter that we will discuss here inside the United States government and a matter we will discuss with the Palestinian people and Palestinian leadership and a matter we will discuss with partners in the region,” he said.

Amid continued heavy bombing and a worsening humanitarian situation, a potential refugee crisis is looming for the region.

US officials say they do not support a permanent settlement of Palestinians outside of Gaza.

Many Palestinians who are descendants of refugees from the war in 1948 that led to Israel's creation also worry that if they flee the enclave, they will never be allowed to return.

US President Joe Biden's administration has opposed a ceasefire, saying it would only benefit Hamas.

On Wednesday, a group of foreign citizens, including Americans, and 81 wounded Palestinians were evacuated from the Gaza Strip through the Egyptian border following diplomatic efforts.