Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed ongoing negotiations involving Hamas and the release of hostages in an interview with Gillian Turner on Fox News Sunday. Rubio addressed recent developments after President Trump set a deadline for Hamas to accept his proposed plan.
Rubio stated, "The way to think about this is twofold. Number one is Hamas has accepted the entire construct of President Trump’s proposal for releasing the hostages. That’s number one, okay? Forty-eight – 20 that are alive, 28 that are deceased – and now what’s happening, even as I speak to you right now, is there’s talks ongoing, which we hope will be finalized very quickly, on the logistics of that – who’s going to go in, what time are they going to be released, how is all that going to work?"
He added optimism about the progress made: "I think that we are the closest we have been in a very long time to having no hostages held by Hamas, either living or deceased."
Rubio also commented on future governance in Gaza: "Who’s going to run Gaza moving forward? It can’t be Hamas; it can’t be a terrorist organization. It has to be governed. I mean, the Israelis want it to be governed by Palestinian technocrats that aren’t building tunnels and aren’t launching rockets and aren’t conducting terrorist attacks." He noted that while general outlines have been agreed upon by Hamas, further discussions would be needed.
Discussing potential exchanges between Israel and Hamas—hostage releases in return for convicted Palestinian prisoners—Rubio acknowledged Israeli concerns but emphasized their commitment: "As unfair and as unjust and as unbalanced as a deal like that may be, that’s how important life is to them."
On rebuilding Gaza post-conflict and establishing new governance structures led by non-Hamas Palestinians, Rubio said these efforts would require significant international involvement and time.
Addressing why he felt confident about reaching a deal soon despite past failures, Rubio pointed out increased international cooperation: "What gives you hope here is the fact that for the first time in this entire endeavor... all these countries – the European countries – all lined up behind a plan and putting a tremendous amount of pressure to make it happen. And President Trump is the one that put that together."
The conversation also turned toward recent U.S. military action against suspected drug trafficking boats near Venezuela. Rubio defended these actions: "The Department of Defense doesn’t take this lightly... They know who’s on those boats; they know what those boats are doing." He noted decreased numbers of drug-running boats since these strikes began.
Asked about speculation regarding his political future within President Trump's circle, Rubio deflected focus onto Vice President Vance as a likely next nominee if he chooses to run: "Our job is to implement the President’s agenda... Ultimately, we work for the President. He’s providing guidance."
Rubio concluded by attributing current diplomatic progress regarding Gaza largely to President Trump’s leadership.
