White House's Kirby: No Plans For US Troops On Ground In Gaza

White House National Security Council Spokesperson John Kirby has told reporters that, "there is no plans or intentions to put US military troops on the ground in Gaza, now or in the future."

• Kirby's statement came in response to a reporter question asking if the US would considering deploying troops as part of a peacekeeping mission to assist with governance after Hamas had been removed.
• Kirby says: "We are talking to our partners about what post-conflict Gaza should look like. If that means some sort of international presence, then that's something we're talking about but there's been no decisions about that."
• Since October 7, the Pentagon has increased its regional force posture in a range of areas, including the deployment of two carrier strike groups to the Eastern Mediterranean and additional troops to bolster presence in Syria and Iraq. Pentagon officials have stressed that US troops will not be deployed to Israel but to nearby bases to deter to state and non-state actors from joining the conflict.
• Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder said yesterday while announcing the deployment of 300 additional troops: “We are working very hard to prevent this from becoming a broader regional conflict.”