Rubio Calls for Hamas’ Eradication, Reaffirms US Support for Israel’s Gaza Offensive
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reiterated Washington’s whole support for Israel’s continuous military operations in Gaza in a joint news conference including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Emphasizing that Hamas, the militant organization now running the Gaza Strip, needs to be “eliminated” and “eradicated,” Rubio said that the group cannot be let to persist as either a military or political institution.
Despite criticism over Trump’s suggestion to forcibly remove Palestinians from the territory, Rubio also complimented former US President Donald Trump’s posture on Gaza, calling it “bold” and “unambiguous.” Blaming Iran for driving crises throughout Lebanon, the West Bank, Syria, and Iraq, the Secretary of State aimed to assign responsibility for instability in the area.
A prominent opponent of Tehran, Rubio underlined the US’s long-standing resistance to Iran’s nuclear program and emphasized that the nation cannot be let to acquire nuclear weapons. He also denounced Hamas for retaining hostages and bones of the dead, which he labeled as acts of “sick depravity.” He did not, however, address the continuous Israeli incarceration of thousands of Palestinian detainees, including children.
Speaking with Rubio, Netanyahu underlined Israel’s will to destroy Hamas and promised to “open the gates of hell” in Gaza should all hostages not be released. “We will eradicate Gaza’s military capability and political rule of Hamas,” he said. We will bring all of our hostages home and make sure Gaza never again poses a threat to Israel.
Netanyahu also emphasized the strong bond between Israel and the US, saying that clear backing from Washington would help both countries reach their goals faster, especially when it comes to the threat that Iran poses. “Israel and America stand shoulder to-shoulder in countering the threat of Iran,” Netanyahu stated. “We decided that Iran’s aggressiveness in the area has to be reversed and that the ayatollahs cannot have nuclear weapons.”
The remarks of both leaders coincide with rising violence in Gaza and growing worldwide concern over the humanitarian situation in the area.
