Secretary of State Marco Rubio fully supports the purpose of Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip, leaning further doubts about the future of a volatile ceasefire, saying Hamas “must be eradicated.”
Rubio met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and West Jerusalem Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, and at the start of the regional tour, he said that President Donald Trump would oust the Palestinian population from the Gaza Strip and redevelop it. It is likely that they will face the proposals of Arab leaders on the proposal. A plan that US ownership and human rights groups call ethnic cleansing.
“The president was very bold and not the same tired ideas as before, it was something new,” Rubio told reporters.
Netanyahu welcomed the plan and also called it “bold,” saying that he and Trump have a “common strategy” for Gaza’s future.
Reflecting Trump, he said, “The gates of hell will be opened.” Hamas took dozens of remaining prisoners of war in the attack on October 7, 2023.
The leader’s remarks came two weeks before the first phase of the Israeli war ceasefire with Gaza, which killed more than 61,700 Palestinians. Hamas has yet to negotiate a second phase, which involves releasing dozens of remaining prisoners in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, a permanent ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli forces.
Rubio said Hamas “cannot continue as a military or government force.”
“Peace will be impossible as long as it stands as a power that can govern, or as a power that can be threatened by the use of violence,” Rubio said. “It has to be eradicated.”
Such languages can complicate efforts to continue consultations with Hamas. Hamas remains as is and is under Gaza’s control despite the great losses that occurred in the war.
US Middle East envoy Steve Witkov received a “very productive and constructive” call with Netanyahu on Sunday, and said he was “very productive and constructive” with Egypt’s Intelligence Director and Qatar’s Prime Minister. “After receiving the call, he said he would continue this week. Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jasim al Thani.
“[We spoke about] We can understand that the sequence of phase 2, setting the position on both sides… where we are today, and this week we will continue to discuss with local people, and at the end of phase 2. It worked well to decide to get to know how to get there,” Witkoff said.
Netanyahu’s office confirmed on Sunday that the Israeli negotiating team will fly to Cairo on Monday and for further discussions on the Gaza ceasefire agreement and its implementation.
Former US diplomat Nabir Cooley said Rubio was broken in the traditional setup for him to first meet with the Israeli government and the Palestinian government, which has some control over the occupied West Bank.
“Rubio has not done so, so this avoids the authority of Palestinians despite all the convenience and all the cooperation and cooperation they have given to the Israeli government,” he told Al Jazeera.
“The next stop after Israel becomes Riyadh and perhaps the United Arab Emirates,” Cooley added, arguing that this fits “Trump’s vision…rebuilding the Palestinian population from Gaza.”
Osama Hamdan, a senior Hamas spokesman, said that Israel’s plans to drive Palestinians out of Gaza had been called out earlier, including the first and second Intifada. He told Jazeera.
Trump “has no clue about Palestinian resistance. He has no clue about how Palestinians are connected to their hometowns,” Hamdan said. “It’s not real estate, it’s my hometown.”
He added that every time Israeli officials talk about Hamas’ “exclusion,” the group is only “strong.”
With Trump, “We’re done work.”
Following a meeting with Rubio, Netanyahu said Israel and the United States are both determined to stop Iran’s nuclear ambitions and “invasion” in the Middle East.
“All the things behind every terrorist group, behind every act of violence, behind every destabilizing activity, everything behind everything that threatens the peace and stability of the millions who call this region home behind the scenes, Rubio said.
Netanyahu has said that Israel has “a powerful blow” to Iran over the past 16 months since the start of the war in Gaza with Hamas, and has earned Trump’s support, saying, “I am in doubt and I will finish my job.” “You can do that.”
He has weakened Israel’s Shiite group Hezbollah, attacking hundreds of targets in Syria, preventing a new front supported by Iran from facing Israel.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces said they launched airstrikes early Sunday against those approaching troops in southern Gaza.
The Gaza Interior Ministry said the strike killed three police officers while securing the intrusion of aid trucks near Rafa on the Egyptian border.
Hamas said the attack was a “serious violation” of the ceasefire and accused Netanyahu of trying to block the deal.
Hamdan suggests that Netanyahu and his government’s actions are “a ceasefire at risk,” but Hamas told Al Jazeera that he will do his best to continue the agreement.
“This makes me clear,” he said. “If Netanyahu decides to attack Gaza at another time, that’s not the case [easy] For him. ”
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