Australia’s troop deployment to Gaza sweats on Trump call

The Albanese Government says it’s appropriate for Australia’s military to prepare contingency plans to deploy troops to the Middle East but insists the Trump administration is yet to seek help for a proposed Gaza peace mission.

During a visit to Washington, Defence Industry Mininster Pat Conroy was asked about revelations in The Nightly that Australia’s chief of joint operations had started talks with US counterparts about possible options for the international stabilisation force.

“No request has been made of Australia to make such a contribution, if a request is received, we would consider it in the normal course of action and the government would take a decision on that,” Mr Conroy, pictured, told reporters.

“Our military as is appropriate talks to other militaries about contingency planning and that’s the normal course of action – but let me repeat - no request has been made, if a request is received, we’ll consider it and the government will make a decision.”

On Thursday chief of joint operations, Vice-Admiral Justin Jones confirmed to The Nightly that he had recently held talks with senior military leaders in the US about a so-called international stabilisation force for Gaza.

“I was in a video teleconference with United States Central Command and my colleagues and counterparts in that command so I’ve got a fair idea of what is their intention and what it might look like,” Vice Admiral Jones said.

“It’s not for me to get ahead of the Australian Government though; our job here in Joint Operations Command is to provide options to Government and that is what we’ll do, and it’s for Government to determine how they wish to commit to any operations in Gaza.”

Speaking from inside Headquarters Joint Operations Command outside Canberra, Vice Admiral Jones said any help was likely to be tactical.

“I would frame it as co-ordination and security, typical for a state in crisis so to speak,” he said.

Shadow Defence Minister Angus Taylor says Arab states need to play a significant role in the stabilisation force in Gaza, while Australia should remain focused on the Indo-Pacific region for now.

“We need to see the Arab states playing a significant role. I think that is incredibly important if we’re going to see that sustained peace,” he told Sky News.

“Our primary focus at this time has to be the Indo-Pacific part, but if we see a specific proposal, obviously we’ll consider it.”

Former Defence official, and Home Affairs Secretary Mike Pezzullo says any international stabilisation force in Gaza was likely to require 3-4 divisions plus critical force elements such as a naval assets and air support.

“Perhaps troops could be sourced from Arab and Muslim nations, as well as like-minded nations in Europe, Asia, and elsewhere,” Mr Pezzullo told The Nightly.

Overnight President Trump has threatened to use US military force inside Gaza amid a fragile ceasefire between Hamas and Israel.

“If Hamas continues to kill people in Gaza, which was not the Deal, we will have no choice but to go in and kill them. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” he wrote online.

President Trump later clarified in an exchange with reporters at the White House: “It’s not going to be us.”

“We won’t have to. There are people very close, very nearby, that will go in, and they’ll do the trick very easily, but under our auspices.”

The threat was made after Hamas-linked gunmen appeared to carry out a public execution in Gaza on Monday, according to an eyewitness.

Video of the event reportedly showed seven people kneeling at gunpoint with masked fighters pointing guns at the back of their heads before the video freezes the moment shots are fired.

Israel and Hamas are continuing to exchange accusations of ceasefire violations amid tensions over the flow of aid into Gaza and warnings the humanitarian crisis in the war-torn territory is at risk of worsening.