Rubio: The Gaza War Is Not Over Yet.. The Priority is to Free the Hostages

SadaNews - U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Sunday that the war in Gaza "is not over yet," describing the release of hostages held by Hamas as the first phase of ending the war.

He added to NBC News that Hamas has "in principle" agreed to President Donald Trump's proposal and framework for releasing the hostages, while meetings are ongoing to coordinate the logistical aspects of that.

He stated, "They have also, in principle and overall, agreed to discuss what will happen next. A lot of details will need to be worked out." In a later interview with Fox News Sunday, Rubio said that nothing is certain.

He added, "No one can say that it is guaranteed 100 percent."

He clarified to NBC that the United States will know "very quickly" whether Hamas is serious or not during the ongoing technical talks to coordinate the release of the hostages.

Rubio said, "The first priority, which we believe we can achieve something in very quickly, is to release all the hostages in exchange for Israel's return" to the yellow line, where Israel has been positioned inside Gaza since mid-August.

He described the second phase of Gaza's long-term future as "harder."

He continued, "What will happen after Israel withdraws to the yellow line, and perhaps beyond it, as this situation evolves? How can a Palestinian technocratic leadership be formed that does not resemble Hamas? How can any type of terrorist groups that will build tunnels and launch attacks against Israel be disarmed? How can they be made to lay down their arms?"

He added, "All this work will be difficult, but it is crucial because there will be no lasting peace without it."