U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday slammed as “nuts” the terms being demanded by Hamas in hostage-ceasefire negotiations, while insisting the Trump administration was committed to freeing all of the 59 captives held by the Palestinian terrorist group in Gaza.
“We care about all the hostages, we want all the hostages released. ... But we’re also talking about bodies. And these trades that are being made, they’re ridiculous trades—400 people for three. These are nuts,” Rubio said at a press conference during the G7 Foreign Ministers Meeting in Charlevoix, Quebec.
“On top of that, you see the condition these people are being released in. ... 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 who have nothing to do with any wars, that are not soldiers … and taking them and putting them in tunnels for almost a year and a half,” he continued.
“The whole world should continue to say that what Hamas has done is outrageous, it’s ridiculous, it’s sick, it’s disgusting. ... We’re just dealing with some savages. That’s it. These are bad people, terrible people, and we need to treat them as such,” added Rubio.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday denounced as “psychological warfare” a Hamas offer to release Edan Alexander, 21, in an effort to jump-start stalled talks.
“While Israel accepted the Witkoff plan, Hamas persisted in its refusal and did not move a millimeter,” according to a statement by the Prime Minister’s Office, referring to Trump administration special envoy Steve Witkoff’s proposal to extend the first phase of the ceasefire.
“At the same time, [Hamas] continues to employ manipulation and psychological warfare,” added the PMO.
Netanyahu was set to convene his ministerial team on Saturday night to review a detailed report from its negotiators and decide on the next steps, the statement said.
Earlier on Friday, Hamas said in a press statement that in response to a proposal from mediators to resume negotiations, it had agreed to “release the Zionist soldier Edan Alexander, who holds American citizenship, in addition to the bodies of four other dual nationals.”
On Friday, Witkoff said in a statement, “Unfortunately, Hamas has chosen to respond by publicly claiming flexibility while privately making demands that are entirely impractical without a permanent ceasefire.”
Witkoff told press on March 6 that the U.S. wants Hamas to free Alexander as a show of goodwill. Alexander, 20, from Tenafly, N.J., is the only one of five American hostages in Gaza believed to still be alive.
Israel estimates 59 hostages are still in Gaza, of whom 35 are believed to be dead.
While Hamas insists on starting the second phase, and rejected Witkoff’s proposal, Israel has agreed to it.
The proposal would extend the ceasefire through the holidays of Ramadan and Passover. Ramadan runs until March 29, while Passover begins on April 12 and ends on April 19.
Israel is reportedly planning to resume its war against Hamas in the coming weeks. It has halted the flow of aid into the Gaza Strip.
