U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Fox News that Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, has been working tirelessly for weeks to secure a Gaza ceasefire deal.
“They’ve made significant progress and are very close,” Rubio stated.
He expressed optimism, saying, “We’re hopeful that a ceasefire agreement could be reached any day now, under which at least half of the hostages — including those confirmed dead — would be released initially, with the remaining hostages freed by the end of a 60-day period.”
Speaking about the captives still held in Gaza, Rubio said: “The good news is every American is out now. We care about all the hostages.”
“There’s a very simple solution to what’s happening in Gaza. Release all the hostages, lay down your arms, and the war ends for Hamas,” he said.
Rubio’s remarks come days after Witkoff said Washington was cutting short its involvement in the negotiations, claiming Hamas had shown “a lack of desire to reach a ceasefire”.
The Israeli military announced on Sunday a pause in military activity in three designated areas of Gaza, shortly after it said it was taking several steps to ease the humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian enclave.
The pause will take place daily in Al-Mawasi, Deir al-Balah, and Gaza City, from 10 a.m. (0700 GMT) to 8 p.m. (1700 GMT) until further notice, the military said.
Designated secure routes will also be in place permanently from 6 a.m. until 11 p.m., it added.
Aid trucks started moving towards Gaza from Egypt, the Egyptian state-affiliated Al Qahera News TV said on Sunday, after months of international pressure and warnings from relief agencies of starvation spreading in the Palestinian enclave.
Israel said that it began aid airdrops to Gaza on Saturday and was taking several other steps to ease the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
