Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio vowed on Sunday to “open the gates of hell” to Hamas if the terrorist group fails to return all the remaining hostages.
Netanyahu, who met Rubio in Jerusalem, said Israel and the United States have a “common strategy” to deal with Palestinian terrorists, with the release of hostages and ruins still held in Gaza being a priority It emphasizes that this is.
“We cannot always share details of our strategy with the public, including when the gates of Hell will be opened. They are sure that all hostages are not released until the last one. Because that's the case,” the statement said.
“We will eliminate Hamas' military capabilities and political control in Gaza. We will take all hostages home so that Gaza will never pose a threat to Israel again,” they added.
Rubio said that after the first 33 was released from the first phase, all living hostages will see all living hostages released from Gaza.
The second phase also sets a clear language for the future of Gaza, including who will control the enclave after 18 years in Hamas.
Israel has yet to tap on alternative groups to govern Gaza, but despite a year's efforts from the US, Rubio said Hamas “cannot continue as a military or government force.” .
“Peace will be impossible as long as it stands as a power that can govern, or as a power that can be threatened by the use of violence,” Rubio said. “It has to be eradicated.”
The terrorist group, which served as the de facto ruler of Gaza during the ceasefire, repeatedly demanded that it remain in power as part of the negotiations.
Meanwhile, Netanyahu also reiterates his support for President Trump's controversial plan to evacuate more than 2 million Palestinians from Gaza, allowing the US to rebuild it before it takes over and rebuilds the enclave. I did it like that.
Netanyahu said the US has “clear support” of Israel, and that is the only step forward for the Middle East.
“Trump presented a bold new vision, and this is the only plan I think will work,” Netanyahu said.
Trump's proposal was widely rejected by the Arab world. Egypt and Jordan were hoping he would take over as refugees forever despite criticism that the strong evacuation of the land amounted to “ethnic cleansing” in the Gaza Strip.
Rubio is poised to face a pushback to the plan as part of his first regional tour of the Middle East as Secretary of State, but once again defended it on Sunday.
“The President is also very bold about his views on what the future of Gaza should look like, bold and frankly took courage and vision rather than the same tired ideas of the past.” he said.
