The United States and Israel have held high-level consultations about Washington potentially leading a temporary post-war administration in Gaza.

Sources familiar with the discussions tell Reuters that the plan would center around a transitional government headed by a US official that would oversee Gaza until the territory has been demilitarized and stabilized, and a viable Palestinian administration could emerge. No fixed timeline has been established for how long such a US-led administration would last, with its duration dependent on conditions on the ground.

Any US-led provisional authority in Gaza would represent Washington’s deepest intervention in the Middle East since its invasion of Iraq in 2003 and would carry significant risks. That authority was perceived by many Iraqis as an occupying force and transferred power to an interim Iraqi government in 2004 after failing to contain a growing insurgency. The same could happen if Washington were perceived as an occupying power in Gaza.

The proposed authority would reportedly draw on Palestinian technocrats but would exclude Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007. Abu Dhabi has conditioned its involvement on the inclusion of the Palestinian Authority and a credible path toward Palestinian statehood. However, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has firmly rejected any role in Gaza for the Palestinian Authority.

In an April interview with Emirati-owned Sky News Arabia, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar suggested there would be a “transitional period” after the war in Gaza ends in which an international board of trustees, including “moderate Arab countries,” would be established.

“We’re not looking to control the civil life of the people in Gaza. Our sole interest in the Gaza Strip is security,” Saar said, without naming which countries he believed would be involved.

Meanwhile, Israel is preparing for an expansion of its military campaign in Gaza. Netanyahu indicated on Monday that Gazan civilians would be moved “for their own safety” as the IDF seeks to recover 59 hostages being held in the enclave following the Oct. 7 Hamas attack that killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and saw 251 taken captive.