Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced over the weekend that Hamas has agreed to President Donald Trump’s comprehensive plan for securing peace in Gaza and freeing the remaining Israeli hostages held by the terrorist group.
Rubio shared the update during a Sunday appearance on “Fox News Sunday” with guest host Gillian Turner.
“On Monday, President Trump set a 6 p.m. deadline today for Hamas to accept all 20 points of his proposed framework. On Friday, they came back and said they’re in—does that raise any red flags about them buying time or stalling?” Turner pressed.
“That’s not quite right; it’s a bit off the mark,” Rubio countered. “Here’s the deal: First, Hamas has fully signed on to Trump’s entire proposal for the hostage release. We’re talking 48 hostages—20 believed alive, 28 deceased.”
“There are ongoing discussions, which we hope wrap up soon, about the nuts and bolts—how it’s executed, who handles what, and when the releases happen,” Rubio added.
“The second piece, and it’s trickier, is what comes next. Who governs Gaza going forward? It can’t be Hamas or any terrorist outfit,” he emphasized.
Rubio stressed that rooting out terrorists from Gaza is a key part of a broader strategy to stabilize the region.
“Long-term peace hinges on ensuring Gaza isn’t run by a terrorist group like Hamas,” he said. “But the immediate priority is getting all 48 hostages out as quickly as possible.”
Turner pointed out the tough trade-off for Israel, noting the release of terrorists in exchange for hostages.
Rubio acknowledged the difficulty of such deals, explaining that securing hostages often means making painful concessions, sometimes freeing captured terrorists.
“As tough and uneven as that feels, it shows how much they value life,” Rubio said.
“None of this would be happening without President Trump laying out this plan and rallying an international coalition, including Arab and Islamic nations. Without his leadership, we wouldn’t be at this point,” he concluded.
