Vedant Patel, deputy spokesman for the US State Department, said on Tuesday that the United States cannot confirm information that Israel is building military bases in the central Gaza Strip, noting at the same time that Secretary of State Antony Blinken has expressed his opposition to any permanent Israeli presence in Gaza since the beginning of the war waged by Israel on Gaza, 14 months ago.

Patel, who was responding to a question from the Jerusalem correspondent about whether what the New York Times reported about the Israeli occupation authorities building military bases in the middle of the Strip indicates the intentions of permanent occupation, said that if the New York Times information is “correct, then this certainly contradicts a number of principles that Secretary Blinken has set.”

“There can be no territorial reduction in Gaza. More than that, there can be no forced displacement of Palestinians from their homes. We will continue to consult with our Israeli partners on this issue, but the most important thing is to achieve a ceasefire, release the hostages, and end this terrible conflict,” he said, stressing that “Israel must not continue to occupy Gaza once a ceasefire is achieved and the threat posed by Hamas is eliminated.”

The newspaper stated in its report that it had observed an acceleration in the construction of this base, in parallel with the demolition of more than 600 buildings in the middle of the Gaza Strip, which indicates that the Israeli army is planning a long-term presence in the Strip.