فاس نيوز ميديا جريدة الكترونية جهوية تعنى بشؤون و أخبار جهة فاس مكناس – متجددة على مدار الساعة
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Sunday that Israeli bombings in the Gaza Strip must “stop” to allow an agreement on the release of hostages held by Hamas.
“Once you agree on the logistical arrangements, I think Israelis and everyone will recognize that it is impossible to free hostages amid ongoing strikes, so those strikes will have to cease,” Rubio said on CBS, emphasizing that an agreement on these arrangements needs to be reached “very quickly.”
Two days before the second anniversary of Hamas’s unprecedented October 7, 2023 attack on Israel—which triggered the war—the Israeli army continued its bombings in Gaza City, killing at least five people according to the local Civil Defense, which operates under the authority of Hamas.
In a text exchange with a CNN journalist aired Sunday, former U.S. President Donald Trump responded “yes” when asked if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to end the military campaign in Gaza. Trump had called on Friday for Israel to halt its bombings in Gaza.
When asked about this, Rubio said, “We need to closely examine what exactly these operations consisted of.” He added in an interview on ABC that “ultimately, yes, you can’t conduct an exchange if fighting is ongoing, it’s simply impossible,” highlighting that “the Israelis have stated they will only address imminent threats.”
He also stated that Hamas has “accepted the framework set by the president regarding the release of hostages,” to be the subject of indirect talks between the two parties scheduled for Monday in Egypt.
The talks are based on the American president’s plan, which sent envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner to Egypt to help finalize discussions on the conditions for releasing the hostages taken during the October 7 attack.
Rubio also noted that longer-term goals—such as governance of Gaza and disarmament of militants—would be “even more difficult” to achieve. “You can’t set up a government structure in Gaza that isn’t Hamas in three days. I mean, that takes time,” Rubio said on NBC.
President Trump told CNN that he expects to know “soon” whether Hamas is committed to peace. He added that if Hamas refuses to relinquish power, it would face “total destruction.”
