Rubio said “good progress” is being made on drafting a UN resolution for an international stabilization force in Gaza.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said neither the United States nor Israel seeks to administer the Gaza Strip, and that ultimately the enclave should be run by a “civilian Palestinian organization.”
Speaking to reporters after a G7 foreign ministers meeting in Canada on Wednesday, Rubio said that a future Gaza should be thought of without the so-called yellow line that currently splits the Strip.
“Eventually there will be Gaza, and none of it will be controlled by Hamas,” Rubio stated, adding that the yellow line currently “differentiates between the parts of Gaza under Hamas control and the ones that are not under Hamas control.”
⭕️ Secretary Rubio on Gaza Ceasefire:
Rubio says the US, the G7, and regional partners are working on a new draft for the UN Security Council resolution establishing the International Stabilization Force (ISF). He says progress is “optimistic,” but complex, because many… pic.twitter.com/I2P4CE0hXM
— Drop Site (@DropSiteNews) November 13, 2025
He said that eventually Gaza should be run by a “civilian Palestinian organization” and “none of it should be under Hamas control.”
The aim for the organization is “to give it capacity, allow it to grow in both capability and credibility, and ultimately it will govern Gaza.”
Rubio stated, “The Israelis don’t want to govern Gaza. We don’t want to govern Gaza. No country in the Middle East wants to govern Gaza. But it’ll take some time to build up that capability, and in the interim someone has to provide security.”
Draft Resolution
The US official said “good progress” is being made on drafting a UN resolution for an international stabilization force in Gaza.
“We feel optimistic that it’s going to happen. It needs to be done the right way, and obviously there’s a lot of different countries; you have to balance their interests here and how that’s structured beyond just the security force,” he stated.
The multinational force – likely to include troops from Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates – is part of President Donald Trump’s plan to end the ongoing conflict in the enclave.
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Rubio believes that deploying an international force in the Palestinian territory is crucial to allowing more aid into the Strip and marginalizing Hamas.
“I think the question is who’s going to be standing on that line and beyond it to provide security, because you’re going to need security,” he stated, adding that “if you really want to see a huge uptick not just in humanitarian assistance but redevelopment, you’re going to need to have security, and that can’t be Hamas.”
Hamas Demilitarization
As far as demilitarization is concerned, Rubio stated, “that’s a commitment Hamas made.”
He added, “That’s a commitment all of our partners on this deal made. And we expect those countries – and they are – will at the appropriate time, including now, bring about pressure on Hamas to live up to that commitment.”
Rubio acknowledged that there were concerns about a multinational force going in until there is a full withdrawal of the Israeli army from the yellow line.
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“Well, that’s what’s being worked on in the resolution, and those are the questions that key partner countries are asking before they participate, and so that’s part of the ongoing conversations that are happening,” he stated.
Rubio added that “clearly there will have to be some delineation of all of that before countries sign up, and that’s part of what’s going on.”
Settler Violence in West Bank
Asked to comment on whether the spate of violence from illegal Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank could undermine some of the agreements regarding the Gaza truce, Rubio said, “I hope not.”
He added, “Certainly, there’s some concern about events in the West Bank spilling over and creating an effect that could undermine what we’re doing in Gaza. We don’t expect it to. We’ll do everything we can to make sure it doesn’t happen.”
⭕️ NEW: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio acknowledged that escalating settler violence in the West Bank is occurring. He played down the violence, saying there is only “some concern” the attacks could “spill over” and undermine stabilization efforts in Gaza. Even so, the… pic.twitter.com/mn4oBWoC8d
— Drop Site (@DropSiteNews) November 13, 2025
He noted that Israeli President Isaac Herzog and a regional Israeli army official had condemned the attacks, which also targeted Israeli troops and police officers.
Trapped Hamas Fighters
Meanwhile, Al-Jazeera Arabic reported a US official as saying that President Trump’s aides are making progress in talks to find a solution to the issue of Hamas fighters still inside Rafah. The official confirmed that efforts to locate and retrieve the remaining Israeli bodies are ongoing and are a crucial element for maintaining the ceasefire in Gaza.
He said that the situation in Gaza is extremely fragile and that they are continuing to work with international partners to keep the peace plan on track, the report added.
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The official also reportedly said the US has no plans to build a military base for American forces near Gaza and that they are discussing with partners the possibility of establishing a military base in southern Israel to host the international stabilization force.
According to the first phase of the ceasefire agreement reached last month, the entire city of Rafah is now behind the “yellow line,” an area under the control of the Israeli occupation army. This includes areas where active Resistance tunnels remain, and where, according to Israeli estimates, between 150 and 200 fighters are believed to be present.
The issue of the trapped fighters resurfaced on the 19th and 29th of last month, following two alleged incidents in which three Israeli soldiers were killed, according to Al-Jazeera Arabic. The Israeli army responded with a widespread and intense bombardment targeting various areas of the Strip, resulting in the deaths and injuries of approximately 300 Palestinians.
‘Surrender or Death’
In light of these developments, Israeli officials insisted that Hamas fighters faced only two options: surrender or death, the report stated.
This stance negatively impacted the handover of the bodies of the slain Israeli soldiers, causing delays on several occasions. For its part, Hamas informed the mediators guaranteeing the Gaza agreement that it was prepared to evacuate the fighters, but emphasized that “surrender is not in its vocabulary.”
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It also warned of an escalation if Israeli forces attempted to storm its fighters’ positions.
In a related development, media reports indicated American efforts to contain the crisis. According to the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation, US envoy Jared Kushner asked the Israelis to allow the fighters in Rafah to relocate to Hamas-controlled areas within Gaza, the report stated.
(AJA, PC, Anadolu)
What an idiot.
Ok, which civilians, from where? i bet they’ll be Jewwwwwiiiiish…
But we should all remember that the CIA is a civilian foreign intelligence service, of the federal government. Look how much actual damage they’ve done. They’ve been part of the problem for decades.