The US and other countries are considering “a range of possible combinations” for the future of the Gaza Strip in the event that the Palestinian organization Hamas is ousted from power, the US Secretary of State said yesterday, Tuesday Anthony Blinken.

Speaking to the Senate Appropriations Committee — during a session that was interrupted several times by chants of protesters calling for “save the children of Gaza” — Blinken pointed out that Hamas cannot continue to rule the Gaza Strip, but added that neither does Israel.

The scenarios for the future of the Palestinian enclave

Between these two options “there is one range of possible combinations which we, like other countries, are looking at very carefully at the moment,” the American minister explained.

“At any given moment, what would make the most sense would be a effective and revitalized Palestinian Authority to take responsibility for the governance and ultimately the security of Gaza,” Blinken assessed.

If the Palestinian Authority cannot take over the governance of Gaza, “then there are others temporary arrangements which may involve a number of other countries in the region. They may include international agencies that will help in both governance and security,” he added.

Washington is talking with Israel and other countries in the region about the how the Palestinian enclave will be governed in the event that Israel wins on the battlefieldhowever no concrete plan has yet emerged.

Among the options being considered by the two countries is the possibility of development in Gaza multinational forcein which American troops will also participate, or the temporary assumption of supervision of the Palestinian enclave by the UN, Bloomberg reported yesterday.

Responding to the article White House says sending US troops to Gaza is not being discussed or considered in the context of a peacekeeping force.

Blinken is back in the Middle East

Some of US President Joe Biden’s advisers worry that while Israel may have an effective plan to deal a lasting blow to Hamas, it has yet to formulate an exit strategy.

“We’ve had very preliminary discussions about what the future of Gaza might look like.”State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said, adding that in the future this issue will be the subject of diplomatic discussions.

Blinken will travel to Israel on Friday, as part of his second tour of the Middle East since the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas on October 7.

There “he will meet with Israeli government officials and make other visits to the region”Miller said without elaborating.

Mid October the US Secretary of State had already made a marathon tour of the region, visiting Israel twice.

Moreover Blinken spoke by phone with Israeli President Isaac Herzog yesterdayin which he reiterated American support for Israel’s right to self-defense, but asked the country to take “measures to limit harm to civilians,” Miller said in a separate statement.

Israel deploys missile-carrying corvettes to Red Sea as regional tensions rise

Israeli missile corvettes deployed to the Red Sea todaythe Israeli military said in a statement, following long-range missile and drone attacks claimed by Yemen’s Houthi rebels.

Images shared by the military appear to show Saar corvettes patrol near the Red Sea port of Eilat, which Israel sees as a new frontas its war against Hamas in Gaza provokes retaliation from Iran-aligned and Hamas-friendly forces elsewhere in the region.