‘Nuts’: Rubio slams Israeli leaders' allowances to Hamas
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday torched the “ridiculous” concessions Israel's leaders have been making to Hamas that include releasing hundreds of violent Palestinian convicts—many of them terrorists—in exchange for single-digit numbers of Israeli hostages, some of whom are already dead.
“We care about all the hostages, we want all the hostages released . . . But we’re also talking about bodies. And these trades that are being made, they’re ridiculous trades—400 people for three. These are nuts,” Rubio said at a press conference during the G7 Foreign Ministers Meeting in Quebec.
Although Rubio did not specifically blame Israel's leadership for the trades, the Trump administration has been losing patience with Israel for insisting on making the lopsided deals instead of adopting President Trump’s tougher stance. The president has given Israel carte blanche to destroy Hamas and even issued a deadline for the terror group to release all hostages—but Israel undermined the Trump administration by promising the release of more Palestinian terrorists in exchange for a slow trickle of hostages. Observers say the move seems calculated to prolong the war.
In the Oval Office, Trump distanced himself from Israel’s surprising approach by diplomatically telling reporters that he would have dealt with Hamas “differently” than Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu.
“I said it from that point [of my ultimatum], it's up to Bibi Netanyahu and Israel,” the president said. “I may have taken a different stance. I said well if they're not going to release any there'll be hell to pay. But the rest is really up to him. I might have done it differently than [Netanyahu]. It’s not my decision, it’s his decision.”
Trump has also stated that "Somebody's going to have to get a lot rougher" with Hamas, in an apparent reference to Netanyahu's accomodating stance towards the terror organization.
The Trump administration appears to be losing patience with Israeli authorities, having begun talks with Hamas directly and behind its ally’s back.
Can Hamas operate without Israeli support?
The Netanyahu administration’s shockingly soft approach has raised questions about whether the Israeli government truly intends to destroy Hamas, or whether the terror group continues to serve the interests of Israel’s "deep state."
Originally an offshoot of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood movement in the 1980s, Hamas was created with the support of Israel’s government. Israeli leaders claim the group was financed as controlled opposition to Yassir Arafat’s Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). But Israel did more than finance Hamas—it gave the organization a base with which to set up operations and establish itself as a legitimate government. In 2005, the Israeli government expelled Gaza’s 8,000 Jewish residents and withdrew from the strip, knowing it would likely become an operating ground for Hamas to build a government and military. That happened in 2007 when Hamas took over Gaza after winning an election. Since then, Israel has protected Hamas financially, both via Qatar and “humanitarian aid.” In 2020, when Qatar wanted to discontinue financing to Hamas, then-Mossad chief Yossi Cohen flew to Doha and convinced Qatari officials to maintain payments to the terror group.
These payments—sent with Israeli leaders’ blessings—enabled Hamas to carry out the October 7th massacre on Israelis, according to a recent report from the Shin Bet, Israel’s domestic intelligence agency.
In addition to financial aid, the humanitarian aid Hamas has been receiving—also with Israel’s approval—not only enabled the October 7th invasion but has also prolonged the war by sustaining Hamas, insiders say. Rafael Hayon, an Israeli operative who monitors Hamas communications, recently said that Hamas was prepared to surrender earlier in the war until they suddenly received a major influx of food, water, and fuel. Estimates say Hamas currently has enough supplies to last another six months.
