Advertisement

‘Contingency plans’ for Australian deployment to Gaza

Source: DW News

Military chiefs are making contingency plans for deploying Australian troops, in case they are called up to help secure peace in Gaza.

An international stabilisation force in the Middle East is part of the US-brokered peace plan to end the Israel-Hamas conflict, with 200 American troops being sent to Israel to help facilitate humanitarian aid into Gaza.

On Thursday, Australia’s Chief of Joint Operations, Vice-Admiral Justin Jones, said plans were under way for if Australian personnel had to be sent as part of the stabilisation force.

“We have a fair idea of their intention and what it might look like,” Jones siad at the headquarters of Joint Operations Command in Bungendore.

“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.

“I would frame it as coordination and security, typical for a state in crisis, so to speak.”

He said he had discussed the proposed stabilisation force over the phone late on Wednesday with the US Central Command, with work under way on possible “security” deployments.

Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy confirmed no request had yet been made for Australian troops.

“Our military as is appropriate … is about contingency planning and that’s the normal course of action,” he said in Washington on Friday (AEDT).

“No request has been made. If a request is received we’ll consider it and the government will make a decision.”

Militant group Hamas is under pressure to disarm as part of the next step in the US-brokered peace deal after returning most of the hostages to Israel on Tuesday.

“If they don’t disarm, we will disarm them. And it will happen quickly and perhaps violently,” US President Donald Trump said at the White House on Wednesday.

The group has returned bodies after Israel earlier accused Hamas of violating the ceasefire agreement by not returning all of the dead hostages’ remains.

Israel is also under pressure to allow “unhindered access” to humanitarian aid in Gaza, with 600 trucks carrying medicine and food supposed to enter the strip a day as part of the agreement.

But it announced it would halve the number of humanitarian aid trucks allowed into Gaza as punishment against Hamas.

–AAP

Want to see more stories from The New Daily in your Google search results?

  1. Click here to set The New Daily as a preferred source.
  2. Tick the box next to "The New Daily". That's it.
Advertisement
Stay informed, daily
A FREE subscription to The New Daily arrives every morning and evening.
The New Daily is a trusted source of national news and information and is provided free for all Australians. Read our editorial charter.
Copyright © 2026 The New Daily.
All rights reserved.