US officials are holding preliminary talks about ways to stabilize Gaza after the war, including a proposal for the Pentagon to fund a “peacekeeping” force, Politico reported.

American officials told the newspaper that the proposal does not include the presence of American forces on the ground, but rather it could be a multinational or Palestinian-led force. Officials said it could take weeks or months before any plan is approved, but it could take longer because there is no end to the Israeli blockade in sight.

The report said that any regional country that might participate in the multinational force would want Israel to commit to the two-state solution before seriously discussing Gaza's post-war plans. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his government, and the Israeli Knesset also expressed their strong opposition to the establishment of a Palestinian state.

That being said, I will not speak in private diplomatic conversations or address what appears to have been reported — anonymous comments from reported officials within the United States government. What I will say is that what the United States has made clear - and the Secretary made this clear for the first time in a speech in Tokyo last November - is that there are some principles that we want to see applied when the conflict is over. One of these is that the Palestinian Authority should govern both Gaza and the West Bank. We want to see the West Bank and Gaza Strip united and governed by the Palestinian people through the Palestinian Authority.

In turn, the official spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in response to a question about explaining the administration’s position in this regard by saying: “We have engaged in talks with partner countries in the region, and we have participated in talks with the Palestinian Authority about what exactly this might look like. There are a number of different proposals put forward to "I won't go into these matters here for perhaps obvious reasons. But yes, we have engaged with the Palestinian Authority and with countries in the region on the full range of post-conflict issues that Gaza will face."

Netanyahu also revealed a post-war plan for Gaza that includes Israel retaining freedom of action in the Strip without a time limit, which would require a long-term military occupation. The United States claims that it opposes the Israeli occupation, but it continues to support the Israeli army in its implementation of a plan to create a “buffer zone” along the border that will occupy 16% of Gaza’s territory.

The Politico report said that Israel is “reluctant” to hold talks on the future status of Gaza while it continues its military operations, which have resulted in the deaths of more than 32,000 Palestinians, including more than 13,000 children. Both figures are considered low estimates as there are still thousands more buried under the rubble.