US Foreign Minister Hopes Ceasefire In Gaza Is Realized In The Near Future

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. (Wikimedia Commons/US Department of State/Freddie Everett)

JAKARTA - United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday he hoped the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, Palestine would materialize in "near future", but said challenges were still there and blamed Hamas for the protracted process.

"Hamas basically wants Israel to resign completely and let them return to being Hamas. Obviously, Israel will not agree," Foreign Minister Rubio said on the sidelines of attending the ASEAN Foreign Minister meeting in Malaysia.

"One of the basic challenges is the reluctance of Hamas to strip weapons," he said.

Despite this "critical point", Foreign Minister Rubio said he hoped Israel and Hamas would switch to indirect negotiations.

"It seems that in general the requirements have been agreed upon, but obviously now we need to hold negotiations on how we implement these requirements," he said.

Foreign Minister Rubio said he had spoken with Special Envoy Steve Witkoff on Wednesday, who said he was optimistic the negotiations would begin soon, and the negotiations would be assisted by Qatar and Egypt.

Earlier, senior Israeli officials said on Wednesday, Israel and Hamas might be able to reach a ceasefire agreement and release of hostages in Gaza within a week or two, but such a deal is likely not to be reached in just one day.

Last Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with President Donald Trump at the White House to discuss the situation in Gaza. Although there is no certainty, he believes Hamas and Israel can reach an agreement.

On the other hand, sources familiar with Hamas said indirect negotiations for four days with Israel in Qatar did not produce any breakthroughs at the main points debated.

It is known that the latest conflict in Gaza broke out after a Palestinian militant group attacked Israel's southern region on October 7, 2023, leaving 1,200 people dead and 251 others held hostage according to Israeli calculations.

Israel responded to this by blocking, airstrikes and military operations in the Gaza Strip region.

Israel and the Palestinian militant group agreed to a ceasefire and exchange of hostages and detainees on January 19.

At least 20 of the remaining 50 hostages in Gaza are believed to be still alive. The majority of the initial hostages have been released through diplomatic negotiations, although the Israeli military has also released several hostages.

On March 2, Israel again carried out a total blockade against Gaza under the pretext of pressuring Palestinian militant groups to agree on a ceasefire proposed by the United States and a exchange of hostages.

As the ceasefire agreement ended, Israel resumed military operations in Gaza on March 18.

As of yesterday, Palestinian deaths in the Gaza Strip since the latest conflict broke out have reached 57,762 people, while another 137,656 were injured, according to medical sources in Gaza.