‘Only short window of time left for Gaza ceasefire,’ Rubio warns

US Secretary of State warns Hamas that a ceasefire in Gaza will soon not be possible as the IDF launches its operation in Gaza City.

By World Israel News Staff

The opportunity to reach a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip could soon be lost, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned Hamas on Tuesday as the IDF launched its much-anticipated operation aimed at seizing control of Gaza City.

Speaking with reporters on the tarmac at Ben Gurion International Airport ahead of his departure from Israel for Qatar, Rubio said that Hamas no longer has months to reach an accord with Israel and may only have days left before the “window” closes on a truce.

“Well, as you saw, the Israelis have begun to take operations there [in Gaza City],” Rubio said. “So we think we have a very short window of time in which a deal can happen. We don’t have months anymore, and we probably have days and maybe a few weeks. So it’s a key moment, an important moment.”

Rubio said the Trump administration prefers “a negotiated settlement” but added that Hamas must agree to demilitarize, “to disband,” and to “release every single hostage.”

The secretary of state also alluded to President Donald Trump’s demand Monday night that Hamas stop using hostages as human shields.

“By the way, there shouldn’t be a single hostage. If you want to fight a war, you fight wars between combatants. You don’t fight wars by taking civilians as human shields, and in this particular case with the hostages; they’re almost over two years now. That’s a barbaric practice. It’s an unacceptable practice. The president called it out yesterday.”

Calling Hamas “a group of savages,” “barbarians,” and “animals,” Rubio lamented that a peaceful resolution to the conflict may “not be possible.”

“But we hope it could happen. We’re going to do everything we can to see if it is,” he said.

When asked to respond to reports that the Israeli government could soon move to apply sovereignty over parts of Judea and Samaria, Rubio blamed the planned recognition of unilateral Palestinian statehood at the United Nations General Assembly next month.

“I think much of that is a reaction to several nations around the world deciding to unilaterally declare a Palestinian state. We warned them that we thought that was counterproductive. We actually think it’s undermined negotiations, because it emboldened Hamas, and we think it undermines future prospects of peace in the region.”