On Friday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned Hamas and called for the immediate release of all hostages held by the terrorist group. When questioned by reporters about whether the US would consider a separate deal with Hamas for the release of American hostages, including Edan Alexander, following Hamas’s claim that it was willing to free the Americans it holds in Gaza, Rubio made his stance clear. “Well, I think our priority always, as the US government, is that we care about all the hostages. We want all the hostages released. We believe they should all be released,” he said.
He further criticized the way hostage exchanges were being handled, remarking, “And that, by the way, we talk about hostages, we’re also talking about bodies. And these trades are being made, and they’re ridiculous trades. Talk about 400 people for three. These are nuts. And on top of that, you see the condition these people are being released in.”
Rubio expressed his disbelief at the situation, adding, “Think about what we’re talking about here. I mean, we’re sitting around as the world sort of accepting that it’s normal and okay for you to go into a place, kidnap babies, kidnap teenagers, kidnap people that have nothing to do with any wars, that are not soldiers, that are not anything, and taking them and putting them in tunnels for almost a year and a half. And we’re acting like if this is a normal exchange, this is a normal thing that happens. This is an outrage.”
He went on to say that Hamas’s actions were inexcusable, stating, “So they should all be released. I’m not going to comment on what we’re going to accept or not accept, other than all of us, the whole world, should continue to say that what Hamas has done is outrageous. It’s ridiculous. It’s sick. It’s disgusting. It should never have happened. And we shouldn’t accept it as normal, as a normal negotiation. We’re just dealing with some savages. These are bad people, terrible people, and we need to treat them as such. But that said, we want all the hostages out.”
Later in the day, Steve Witkoff, US President Donald Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, stated that Hamas was making “unrealistic” demands behind the scenes, despite their public statement about being willing to release hostages like Edan Alexander and the remains of four dual-citizen hostages. “Hamas is making a very poor gamble by believing that time is on its side. That is not the case. Hamas is well aware of the deadline and must understand that we will respond accordingly if it passes,” Witkoff warned.
He also revealed that he had put forward a mediation plan the previous Wednesday that would extend the ceasefire in Gaza through Ramadan and Passover, allowing more time for negotiations toward a lasting ceasefire. As part of the proposal, Witkoff suggested that the ceasefire be extended by 50 days, with Israel agreeing to release convicted terrorists in exchange for a number of hostages being freed.
The second phase of the proposal would involve Israel’s full withdrawal from Gaza, even though Hamas had repeatedly violated the ceasefire. While the exact number of hostages to be freed remains unclear, reports suggest that the release could include five living hostages and nine deceased ones, some of whom are American citizens.
{Matzav.com}The post ‘Sick and Disgusting’: Rubio Blasts Hamas, Demands Release of All Hostages first appeared on Matzav.com.