Marco Rubio: The war in Gaza is not over yet; we have difficult negotiations ahead of us

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in an interview on NBC News' “Meet the Press” program that the war in Gaza is not over yet, even though Israel and Hamas have agreed to some parts of the US plan for the Gaza Strip.

During the discussion, Rubio emphasized that the upcoming technical negotiations, particularly regarding the logistics of releasing the hostages, will show whether Hamas is serious about cooperation. He also reminded viewers that this is only the first phase of the agreement and that the next phase, which involves disarming and demobilizing Hamas, will be much more difficult.

He warned that it would not be possible to create a new administrative system in Gaza outside Hamas' sphere of influence within three days. He stressed that lasting peace would only be possible if the armed terrorist organizations in Gaza ceased to exist.

He added that there was hope in the current negotiations between Israel and Hamas that the hostages would be released soon, possibly as early as next week. He then confirmed that the conflict was still officially ongoing.

(reuters, sie)