Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday that this is the “closest we’ve come” to securing the release of all Israeli hostages, but warned of “pitfalls” amid peace negotiations.
“This is the closest we’ve come to getting all of the hostages released, every single one.”,” Rubio said on ABC’s This Week.
On Friday, Hamas partially accepted portions of the Trump administration’s 20-point plan to end the war in Gaza, including the release of all Israeli hostages — 28 of whom are deceased and 20 of whom are alive. In exchange, Israel will release 250 Palestinian prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment and 1,700 Gazans detained after Oct. 7, 2023.
Hamas added that other elements of the peace deal, such as its disarmament and abandonment of power in Gaza, require further negotiation.
In a Friday post on his Truth Social platform after Hamas issued its response, the president called on Israel to “immediately” cease bombing Gaza to ensure the hostages are safely released.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday that his government is preparing for “the first stage of President Trump’s plan for the immediate release of all the hostages.”
Rubio said that the logistics of the hostage return, as well as the future of Gaza’s governance, are still being determined. He added that an exchange cannot occur “if there’s active combat ongoing,” echoing the president.
Gaza’s Ministry of Health said Saturday that Israeli airstrikes in the prior 24 hours had killed at least 67 people in the enclave, according to CNN.
“No one said this is [going to] be easy,” Rubio said. “This is good progress, but a lot of work remains. But it is the most significant development in this entire situation in a very long time.”
