Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed the ongoing negotiations for the release of hostages held by Hamas during an interview with Martha Raddatz on ABC's "This Week." Rubio stated, "This is the closest we’ve come to getting all of the hostages released – every single one, all 48, including the 28 who are deceased, of course the 20 that are still alive. But there’s a lot of pitfalls along the way. There’s some work to be done here."
He explained that negotiations are divided into two phases. The first phase involves Hamas accepting President Trump's framework for release: "the hostages are released and Israel pulls back to what’s been called the yellow line, roughly where they were in August of last year – and that exchange happened." According to Rubio, logistical details about how and when the exchange will occur still need to be resolved.
Rubio noted concerns about conditions on the ground affecting hostage exchanges. He said, "you can’t have an exchange of hostages, you can’t obviously bring them out, if bombs are going off and active combat is occurring." While Israeli officials have reportedly suspended offensive operations except in response to imminent threats, recent bombings in Gaza City prompted Rubio to say further investigation would be needed.
Regarding timelines set by President Trump for returning hostages within 72 hours after acceptance of the plan, Rubio clarified that while outlines and principles have been accepted by Hamas, logistics must still be worked out before any countdown begins. He emphasized urgency: "We cannot be here three weeks from now still discussing the logistics... That has to happen very quickly in order for the rest of this deal to gain momentum."
The second phase involves establishing an international governance structure in Gaza led by Palestinian technocrats. On disarming Hamas as part of this process, Rubio said: "As long as there is a threat emanating from Gaza against Israel’s security... there isn’t going to be peace." He added that demobilization must occur for lasting peace.
Rubio acknowledged regional cooperation in these efforts: "it’s Qatar, it’s the UAE, it’s Israel who’s been involved in these talks, it’s Saudi Arabia... Egypt and Jordan and other countries from the region," describing collective pressure as key for progress.
Rubio concluded that although significant challenges remain and success is not guaranteed, current developments represent notable progress compared to previous attempts at resolving this crisis.
