Washington, June 3 (IANS) US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that reconstruction of Gaza cannot move forward unless Hamas is demilitarised, arguing that governments and investors will not commit billions of dollars to rebuilding the territory while the militant group retains military capabilities.
At a Congressional hearing Rubio defended the Trump administration’s Gaza strategy amid criticism from Democratic lawmakers who questioned progress on a broader peace and reconstruction plan.
“The goal now is to demilitarise Hamas,” Rubio said. “That is the impediment that’s holding up the rest of it.”
The Secretary said international discussions on Gaza’s future continue, including efforts to secure financial commitments for reconstruction and establish a new governing structure for the territory.
According to Rubio, donor countries and private investors remain interested in participating in Gaza’s recovery, but security concerns remain the primary obstacle.
“No one is going to invest there as long as Hamas is militarised, because as long as Hamas is militarised, they know that there’s going to be a war in the future,” he said.
Rubio’s comments came during a sharp exchange with Representative Rosa DeLauro, who questioned the status of a broader US-backed peace initiative and expressed concern over worsening humanitarian conditions in Gaza.
The Secretary rejected suggestions that Washington had abandoned efforts to address the crisis.
“No one’s forgotten about it,” Rubio said.
He outlined a vision that would ultimately place Gaza under a non-Hamas Palestinian administration supported by international partners.
“What we want, and I think what the Israelis would ultimately want, is a Gaza that is governed by a non-Hamas” authority, Rubio said.
The Secretary said current discussions focus on creating conditions that would allow an international stabilisation force to enter Gaza and provide security while longer-term political and economic arrangements are developed.
“We should be having or want to have an international stabilisation force that goes in and provides the security,” he said.
Rubio added that several countries in the region are also pressuring Hamas to accept demilitarisation as part of a broader settlement.
“It’s not just the United States that’s complaining about it,” he said. “Many of our partners in the region are pressuring Hamas to enter the demilitarisation phase.”
During the hearing, lawmakers also questioned Rubio about recent comments attributed to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding control of parts of Gaza.
Rubio said such proposals were not part of the plan currently being pursued by Washington.
“That’s not part of this plan,” he said. “This plan doesn’t call for that.”
The Secretary also pushed back against criticism regarding humanitarian assistance, saying the United States had already committed substantial resources to relief efforts in Gaza.
“We spent hundreds of millions of dollars on humanitarian aid in Gaza already,” Rubio said.
The future of Gaza remains one of the most sensitive issues in Middle East diplomacy. International efforts have increasingly focused on securing a political arrangement that would prevent renewed conflict while allowing reconstruction of infrastructure, housing, healthcare facilities and public services damaged during years of fighting.
–IANS
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