US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has absolutely endorsed Israel’s conflict goals within the Gaza Strip, saying Hamas “should be eradicated” and throwing the way forward for the shaky ceasefire into additional doubt.
Rubio met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in West Jerusalem on Sunday at first of a regional tour, the place he’s prone to face pushback from Arab leaders over US President Donald Trump’s proposal to displace the Palestinian inhabitants from the Gaza Strip and redevelop it underneath United States possession, a plan that human rights organisations have referred to as ethnic cleaning.
“The president has additionally been very daring, not the identical drained concepts of the previous however one thing new,” Rubio instructed reporters.
Netanyahu welcomed the plan, additionally referring to it as “daring”, and mentioned he and Trump have a “frequent technique” for Gaza’s future.
Echoing Trump, he mentioned “the gates of hell can be open” if Hamas doesn’t launch dozens of remaining captives kidnapped in its October 7, 2023 assault that preceded the conflict.
The leaders’ remarks got here simply two weeks earlier than the first phase of the ceasefire in Israel’s conflict on Gaza, which has killed greater than 61,700 Palestinians, is ready to finish. The second section – by which Hamas is to launch dozens of remaining captives in trade for extra Palestinian prisoners, a long-lasting truce and the withdrawal of Israeli forces – has but to be negotiated.
Rubio mentioned Hamas “can not proceed as a army or authorities drive”.
“So long as it stands as a drive that may govern or as a drive that may administer or as a drive that may threaten by use of violence, peace turns into unimaginable,” Rubio mentioned. “It should be eradicated.”
Such language might complicate efforts to proceed talks with Hamas, which, regardless of struggling heavy losses within the conflict, stays intact and accountable for Gaza.
The US Center East envoy, Steve Witkoff, mentioned on Sunday that talks on the second section of the ceasefire would proceed this week, after he had “very productive and constructive” calls with Netanyahu, in addition to Egypt’s director of intelligence and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani.
“[We spoke about] the sequencing of section two, setting forth positions on either side, so we will perceive… the place we’re right now, after which persevering with talks this week at a neighborhood to be decided in order that we will determine how we get to the top of section two efficiently,” Witkoff mentioned.
Netanyahu’s workplace confirmed on Sunday that an Israeli negotiating crew would fly to Cairo on Monday for extra talks on the Gaza ceasefire settlement and its implementation.
Former US diplomat Nabeel Khoury mentioned Rubio has damaged with the standard setup for US diplomats to first meet with the Israeli authorities after which the Palestinian Authority, which has some management within the occupied West Financial institution.
“Rubio is just not doing that. So that is sidetracking the Palestinian Authority regardless of all of the conveniences and all of the cooperation and collaboration it has given the Israeli authorities,” he instructed Al Jazeera.
“The subsequent cease after Israel goes to be Riyadh and presumably the United Arab Emirates,” Khoury added, arguing that this suits into “Trump’s imaginative and prescient … which is rebuilding Gaza minus the Palestinian inhabitants”.
Osama Hamdan, a senior spokesperson for Hamas, instructed Al Jazeera that Israeli plans to drive Palestinians out of Gaza will not be new and have been voiced earlier than, together with through the first and the second Intifadas.
Trump “has no clue in regards to the resistance of the Palestinians. He has no clue about how the Palestinians are linked to their homeland”, Hamdan mentioned, noting “It’s not actual property. It’s a homeland.”
He added that each time Israeli officers have talked in regards to the “elimination” of Hamas, the group has solely change into “stronger”.
With Trump, ‘we’ll end the job’
Following the assembly with Rubio, Netanyahu mentioned Israel and the US are each decided to thwart Iran’s nuclear ambitions and its “aggression” within the Center East.
“Behind each terrorist group, behind each act of violence, behind each destabilising exercise, behind all the things that threatens peace and stability for the thousands and thousands of individuals that decision this area house is Iran,” Rubio mentioned.
Netanyahu mentioned Israel had dealt a “mighty blow” to Iran over the previous 16 months because the begin of the conflict in Gaza towards Hamas and mentioned that with the help of Trump “I’ve little question we will and can end the job”.
He mentioned Israel had weakened the Lebanese Shia group Hezbollah and had hit lots of of targets in Syria to forestall a brand new Iranian-backed entrance from opening up towards Israel.
In the meantime, the Israeli army mentioned it carried out an air strike early on Sunday on individuals who approached its forces in southern Gaza.
The Gaza Inside Ministry mentioned the strike killed three of its policemen whereas they have been securing the entry of support vehicles close to Rafah, on the Egyptian border.
Hamas mentioned that the assault was a “critical violation” of the ceasefire and accused Netanyahu of making an attempt to sabotage the deal.
Hamdan instructed Al Jazeera that Netanyahu and his authorities’s actions counsel “the ceasefire is in jeopardy”, however Hamas will do its finest to proceed with the settlement.
“I shall be clear on this,” he mentioned. “If Netanyahu decides to assault Gaza one other time, it is not going to be [easy] for him.”
