Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday that this is the \u201cclosest we\u2019ve come\u201d to securing the release of all Israeli hostages in Gaza, but warned of \u201cpitfalls\u201d amid peace negotiations.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the closest we\u2019ve come to getting all of the hostages released, every single one,” Rubio said on ABC\u2019s “This Week.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
On Friday, Hamas partially accepted<\/a> portions of the Trump administration\u2019s 20-point plan to end the war in Gaza, including the release of all Israeli hostages \u2014 28 of whom are deceased and 20 of whom are alive. In exchange, Israel will release 250 Palestinian prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment and 1,700 detained after Oct. 7, 2023.<\/p>\n Hamas added that other elements of the peace deal, such as its disarmament and abandonment of power in Gaza, require further negotiation. <\/p>\n In a Friday post on his Truth Social platform<\/a> after Hamas issued its response, President Trump called on Israel<\/a> to \u201cimmediately\u201d cease bombing Gaza to ensure the hostages are safely released.\u00a0<\/p>\n Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday that<\/a> his government is preparing for \u201cthe first stage of President Trump\u2019s plan for the immediate release of all the hostages.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Rubio said that the logistics of the hostage return, as well as the future of Gaza\u2019s governance, are still being determined. He added that an exchange<\/a> cannot occur \u201cif there\u2019s active combat ongoing,\u201d echoing the president.<\/p>\n