The U.S. military is not a part of the Israeli Security Cabinet’s newly announced plan in Gaza, including taking Gaza City, Kingsley Wilson, the Pentagon press secretary, told an Associated Press reporter during the Defense Department’s press briefing on Thursday.
“Israel is preparing to retake Gaza,” the reporter said. “What role is the U.S. military playing in that effort?”
“I’ll just echo what the president has said. He wants to alleviate the suffering for the people of Gaza. He wants to see peace in the Middle East and in that region in particular,” Wilson said. “We are in full support of that. The department does not at this time have a direct role, but if we are asked to support, we of course stand ready at the president’s direction.”
Asked if the Defense Department is ready to help with aid, “the way the last administration did,” Wilson said that the Pentagon is “always ready if asked and tasked to deliver,” although she didn’t want to “get ahead of the president.”
A reporter wanted to know if Pete Hegseth, the U.S. secretary of defense, “supports the Israeli plan to occupy all of Gaza, as Prime Minister Netanyahu just announced today?”
“I am not saying anything about our position in terms of that. Again, I would defer to the president and to the White House there,” Wilson said. “He is going to be the one that is leading these negotiations. The DOD’s role is to make sure that if we are called upon to support in some capacity, we’re doing that.”
Wilson also declined to “get ahead of the White House” when asked if the Pentagon has been asked to prepare plans for boots on the ground in Gaza “in case the administration took the decision to support the distribution of aid and food.”
Wilson has drawn criticism from Jewish groups for her past comments questioning military aid to Israel.
