President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed optimism Sunday about the prospect of Hamas releasing the remaining Israeli hostages and giving up governing authority in the Gaza Strip as negotiators from the U.S., Israel and Hamas traveled to Egypt to discuss a ceasefire deal.
Mr. Trump sounded confident Sunday when discussing the peace talks on the South Lawn, but added that it will take some time to play out.
“They’re in negotiation, right now, as we speak, they’ve started the negotiation. It’ll last a couple of days,” Mr. Trump told a gaggle of reporters. “We’ll see how it turns out. But I’m hearing it’s going very well.
“It’s a great deal for Israel, it’s a great deal for the entire Arab world, Muslim world, and world, so we’re very happy about it,” Mr. Trump said.
Mr. Rubio, who made the rounds of the Sunday morning talk shows, said he expects “90%” of the negotiations to be completed by the time the U.S. delegation lands in Cairo and talks begin in earnest Monday.
The secretary celebrated the bigger picture — Hamas signing on to the core principles of Mr. Trump’s peace deal — although he did warn that the terror group might not want to abide by timelines the White House has in mind.
“I’m not telling you here that these are people I trust 100%, nor should we, but they have said basically that they agreed to his proposal and the framework for releasing the hostages,” Mr. Rubio said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “That’s an enormous achievement.”
In a text exchange with CNN’s Jake Tapper, Mr. Trump was asked what options remain for Hamas if the terrorist group rejects disarmament and the relinquishing of power in the Gaza Strip. “Complete obliteration! ” Mr. Trump responded.
Mr. Rubio noted that the war in Gaza is not necessarily over because of the ceasefire talks. Hamas refusing to disarm, as laid out in Mr. Trump’s 20-point peace plan, further complicates the possibility that there will be a lasting peace in the region, the secretary said.
The White House has said Israel will have its blessing to retaliate if Hamas does try to cling to power in the 25-mile strip along the Mediterranean Sea.
But he highlighted the positives: Hamas saying it will cede governance of the Gaza Strip, and it will release the 48 remaining hostages, those that are both dead and still living, to Israel.
In exchange, Hamas leaders seek the return of 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,700 Palestinians who were detained after Oct. 7, 2023 — the day when the terror group killed more than 1,200 civilians and took 250 people hostage in its attack on southern Israel.
Israel has targeted Hamas strongholds and leadership in the two years since the raid. The Gaza Health Ministry estimates roughly 70,000 casualties due to Israel’s military campaign.
The deal’s language said Gaza’s new governing body will consist of independent Palestinian technocrats, which Hamas has agreed to. The collective will work out how to feed the millions of people who have been left homeless and starving in the war-ravaged strip.
However, Hamas has not voiced support for a proposed international consortium Mr. Rubio dubbed the “Board of Peace.” The global board would be headed by Mr. Trump and provide oversight and supervision to the new technocratic leaders’ operations.
Israeli leadership struck a hopeful tone as well when Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar praised Mr. Trump for pushing to return the hostages.
“I want to thank President Donald Trump for all his efforts regarding this huge mission of bringing our hostages back home,” Mr. Sa’ar said Sunday. “We are yearning to see them come home — very soon.”
Special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law, are part of the U.S. delegation meeting in Cairo with the aim of ending the two-year conflict.
Hundreds of thousands of pro-Palestinian marchers took to the streets across several European cities Sunday in support of Palestinians and an aid flotilla’s attempt to reach Gaza. Istanbul held the largest of multiple demonstrations being staged in Turkey.
In the Netherlands, an estimated 250,000 people, most dressed in red, gathered in Amsterdam to press the government to take tougher action against Israel.
• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.
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