Top US diplomat says Arab allies must figure out how to remove Hamas from power or Israel will have to, ‘and then we’re back to where we’ve been, so that doesn’t solve the problem’
Today, 2:03 am
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio indicated Thursday that renewed fighting in Gaza would not ultimately end the threat that Hamas poses to Israel, just two days after he appeared to back a resumption of the war.
“Someone has to confront [Hamas]. Who’s that going to be? It’s not going to be American soldiers. If the countries in the region can’t figure that piece out, then Israel is going to have to do it, and then we’re back to where we’ve been, so that doesn’t solve the problem,” Rubio said in an interview with conservative radio show hosts Clay Travis and Buck Sexton.
The remarks marked the first time a Trump official has made such an acknowledgment, though it was unclear whether Rubio was speaking off the cuff or on behalf of US President Donald Trump, who appeared to give Israel a green light to return to fighting when he warned earlier this week of hell breaking loose if the hostages are not all released by Saturday at noon.
On Tuesday, Rubio had told NewsNation that “Hamas continues to use networks to smuggle in weaponry and aid for themselves to reconstitute themselves.”
“Israel can’t allow that to happen. You can’t allow Hamas to use the ceasefire to rebuild itself and recover strength,” he said. “It’s a ceasefire, but it’s not a stupid ceasefire.”
“We’re going to give [Arab allies] a chance to come up with a plan… and not just to pay for [Gaza reconstruction] because… someone’s going to have to go on the ground. Hamas has weapons,” Rubio continued.
He admitted that Washington’s Arab allies don’t support Trump’s proposal, “but the only plan right now is the Trump plan. If they’ve got a better plan, now’s the time to present it. So we’re looking forward to that.”
Rubio, who departed Thursday evening on a trip that will take him to the Middle East, said he hopes to discuss ideas during his stops in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, after talks in Washington with Egypt and Jordan. Rubio is slated to visit Israel during his trip.
Egypt is leading efforts to present an alternative plan to Trump’s within weeks, which would involve training a new security force in Gaza and identifying local Palestinian leaders who would be in charge, likely ones affiliated with the Palestinian Authority — which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected to date.
Earlier Thursday, Hamas said it would release three Israeli hostages as planned Saturday, backing off a threat to delay the next release of captives after accusing Israel of failing to meet its obligations to allow tents and shelters into Gaza, among other alleged violations of the truce.
Israel was reported to be pushing for additional living hostages to be released in the upcoming days, but a senior Arab official told The Times of Israel that it was unlikely that Hamas would deviate from the original timeframe of the agreement.
Underscoring the fragility of the ceasefire and hostage release arrangement, a rocket was fired from Gaza on Thursday for the first time since the fighting halted last month, reportedly killing a Palestinian teen inside the Strip and drawing the second Israeli military strike in as many days.
Israel has said it will resume fighting if the hostages are not freed, and appeared to endorse Trump’s demand that all the captives be released, not only the three scheduled to return to Israel on Saturday, reflecting growing concerns over the condition of captives held in Gaza for nearly 500 days.
Hamas said it held talks in Cairo with Egyptian officials and was in contact with Qatar’s prime minister about bringing into Gaza more shelters, medical supplies, fuel and heavy equipment for clearing rubble — its key demand in recent days. It said in a statement that the mediators had pledged to “remove all hurdles.”
Egyptian media aired footage showing trucks carrying temporary housing and bulldozers on Egypt’s side of the Rafah crossing with Gaza. The reports said the trucks were heading to an Israeli inspection area before crossing into Gaza.
Under the terms of the ceasefire that took effect last month, 17 hostages are still slated to be released under the deal’s first stage, nine of whom are believed to still be alive. Recent weeks have seen Hamas release 16 Israelis as part of the agreement, which also requires Israel to release over a thousand Palestinian prisoners, including convicted terrorists serving life sentences for their roles in deadly attacks. Five Thai nationals abducted during the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack that started the Gaza war have also been released.
Israeli officials are expecting Hamas on Friday to name the three it intends to release on Saturday.
Content retrieved from: https://www.timesofisrael.com/rubio-suggests-resumption-of-gaza-war-wont-end-hamas-threat-to-israel/.
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