JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggested on Sunday that he was pushing forward with US President Donald Trump’s proposal to relocate the Palestinian population from Gaza, calling it “the only viable plan to enable a different future” in the region. Netanyahu addressed the strategy with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who began a Middle East visit by supporting Israel’s war goals in Gaza, stating that Hamas “must be eradicated.” That raised more concerns about the weak ceasefire, as talks on the second phase have yet to begin.

Netanyahu said he and Trump have a “common strategy” for Gaza, and he said “the gates of hell would be open” if Hamas did not return scores of captives kidnapped in the militant group’s raid on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which sparked the 16-month conflict.

The ceasefire’s first phase will end in two weeks. Negotiations were supposed to begin two weeks ago on the second phase, in which Hamas would free dozens of remaining hostages in exchange for more Palestinian captives, a long-term truce, and the withdrawal of Israeli troops. Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special Middle East envoy, told Fox News that “phase two is absolutely going to begin” and that he had “very productive” contacts on Sunday with Netanyahu and mediators from Egypt and Qatar about continuing talks this week. He also stated that the prisoners to be released include 19 Israeli troops, and “we believe all of them are alive.”
Netanyahu’s office announced that Israel’s security Cabinet would convene Monday to consider the second phase. Trump later told journalists that it is “up to Israel to decide what the next step is, in consultation with me.” In another evidence of closer cooperation, Israel’s Defense Ministry said that it had received a shipment of 2,000-pound (900-kilogram) MK-84 munitions from the United States. The Biden administration halted a supply of such bombs last year due to worries over civilian fatalities in Gaza.

Resuming the conflict could endanger hostages. This week marks 500 days of conflict. Netanyahu has indicated that he is willing to restart combat after the present period of the ceasefire, even if it means killing any remaining captives. Rubio stated that peace is impossible as long as Hamas “stands as a force that can govern, administer, or threaten by the use of violence,” adding, “It must be eradicated.” When the ceasefire began last month, Hamas regained control of Gaza despite tremendous losses. Netanyahu has offered Hamas the opportunity to surrender and send its officials into exile. Hamas has rejected this option, insisting on Palestinian rule. Spokesman Abdul Latif al-Qanou told the accepts a Palestinian unity government or a technocratic committee to run Gaza Press that the organization
Netanyahu directed negotiators to travel to Cairo on Monday to discuss the next steps in the first phase of the truce, as concerns about shelter material delivery persist. Meanwhile, the Israeli military claimed to have launched an attack on persons approaching soldiers in southern Gaza. The Hamas-run Interior Ministry claimed to have killed three of its police personnel while securing the entry of assistance vehicles near Rafah on the Egyptian border.

“If someone has a better plan, that’s great.” In an interview last week, Rubio stated that Trump’s Gaza idea was intended to put pressure on Arab states to develop their own postwar plan that Israel would accept. Rubio also seemed to advocate that Arab countries send troops to confront Hamas. “If the Arab countries have a better plan, then that’s great,” Rubio said Thursday on the “Clay and Buck Show.” But “Hamas has guns,” he said. “Someone needs to tackle those guys. It won’t be American soldiers. And if the other countries in the neighborhood cannot figure it out, Israel will have to.” Rubio was not planned to meet with Palestinians during his trip.

Arabs have restricted options. For Arab governments, aiding the mass evacuation of Palestinians from Gaza or fighting Palestinian militants on Israel’s behalf are nightmare scenarios that would spark furious internal condemnation and potentially destabilize an already fragile Egypt will host an Arab conference on February 27 and is working with other countries on a counterproposal that would allow Gaza to be rebuilt without displacing its residents. According to human rights groups, expelling Palestinians would most likely violate international law. Egypt has cautioned that any massive flow of Palestinians from Gaza would jeopardize its almost 50-year peace accord with Israel, which is a cornerstone of US power in the region. The UAE and Saudi Arabia have likewise ruled out any wholesale displacement of Palestinians. The UAE was the leading force behind the 2020 Abraham Accords, which restored relations with Israel for four Arab states — Bahrain, the UAE, Morocco, and Sudan — during Trump’s previous term. Trump aims to broaden the accords to include Saudi Arabia, potentially offering closer US ties , but the kingdom has said it won’t normalize relations with Israel without a pathway to a Palestinian state
Rubio will not be visiting Egypt or Jordan, who are key US allies at peace with Israel and have refused to absorb any influx of Palestinian refugees. Trump has threatened to cut US help if they do not comply, which could be disastrous for their economy. Rubio is also skipping Qatar. Arab and Muslim countries have made any help for postwar Gaza contingent on a return to Palestinian government and a road to statehood in Gaza, the West Bank, and east Jerusalem, territories taken by Israel during the 1967 Mideast war.
Israel has rejected a Palestinian state and any role in Gaza for the Western-backed Palestinian Authority, whose forces were forced out after Hamas seized power in 2007.