Secretary of State Marco Rubio told NBC’s Meet the Press today that the war in Gaza is “not yet” over, outlining a complex, two-phase approach to the peace negotiations based on President Trump’s proposal.
He stressed that while Hamas has “basically” agreed to the framework for a hostage release, the long-term process of ensuring lasting peace will be significantly more challenging.
Hostage Release: The Immediate Priority
Secretary Rubio identified the immediate release of all 48 hostages—both living and deceased—as the administration’s priority number one. He confirmed that Hamas has “basically” agreed to the President’s framework for the release.
However, he noted that the current focus is on technical and logistical talks, which are occurring now to finalize the details, such as the involvement of the Red Cross, the location and timing of the exchange, and ensuring a cessation of hostilities during the process.
READ: Trump Hails ‘Unprecedented’ Turning Point As Hamas Agrees To Hostage Release, Power Transfer
“We will know very quickly whether Hamas is serious or not by how these technical talks go in terms of the logistics,” Rubio stated, adding that fighting must stop during the exchange. Israel has agreed to move its troops back to the “yellow line,” which is where they stood in mid-August, as part of this first phase.
Long-Term Peace: “Even Harder” Phase Two
The second phase of the peace process, which focuses on the long-term future of Gaza, was described by the Secretary as “even harder.” This phase involves creating a Palestinian technocratic leadership that is “not Hamas” and is assisted by the international community.
Rubio underscored the difficulty of this stage, specifically mentioning the critical need for the disarmament and demobilization of any terrorist groups in Gaza. “How do you disarm any sort of terrorist groups that are going to be building tunnels and conducting attacks against Israel? How do you get them to demobilize?” he asked. Without demobilization, he warned, lasting peace is impossible, and the conflict could reoccur.
READ: Trump Says Israel Has ‘Temporarily Stopped The Bombing’ To Advance Hostage-Peace Deal
Palestinian Statehood: A “Process,” Not a “Yes or No”
When pressed on whether the Trump Administration now supports Palestinian statehood, as mentioned in the President’s peace plan, Rubio avoided a simple yes or no answer. He stressed that a “credible Pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood” requires a foundation of security that does not currently exist.
The most important factor, he explained, is having a legitimate entity to whom control of Gaza can be transferred—one that is not interested in destroying Israel. He reiterated the consistent U.S. position that any two-state solution must be negotiated with Israel and must account for Israel’s security needs.
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He concluded that creating the conditions for peace must precede any discussion of statehood.
The is “not going to be easy,” Rubio said, but getting the hostages released is the most important step to build momentum for the rest of the peace effort.
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