US Defense Secretary: Our military is ready to consider all options for Gaza

(Patria) - US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Wednesday that the Pentagon is ready to consider all options for Gaza, a day after President Donald Trump said he would like the United States to take control of the Gaza Strip and redevelop it, Reuters reported.

"When it comes to Gaza, the definition of insanity is trying to do the same thing over and over again," Hegseth said before a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Pentagon.

"The President is willing to think outside the box, to look for new and unique, dynamic ways to solve problems that have seemed intractable... We are ready to consider all options," Hegseth added.

The White House announced earlier on Wednesday that Trump had not committed to sending US troops to the Gaza Strip as part of his proposal for a US takeover of the Palestinian enclave.

Trump's idea has drawn international condemnation and some disagreement from Republicans in Congress, who have largely backed Trump's initiatives such as halting foreign aid and dismissing thousands of civil servants.

It was unclear whether Trump would proceed with his proposal or if he had taken an extreme position as a negotiating strategy, as he has done on other issues.

Hegseth said the Pentagon would seek to deliver weapons to Israel that "have not been delivered before, that are useful in eradicating radical enemies."

Trump has instructed the US military to lift a ban on the delivery of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel that was imposed by former Democratic President Joe Biden.

One such bomb can penetrate thick concrete and metal, creating a wide blast radius. Reuters reported last year that the Biden administration had sent thousands of such bombs to Israel following the October 7, 2023, attacks by Palestinian Hamas militants from Gaza, but had halted one shipment.