Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a stark warning Wednesday, August 7, stressing that global attention on Gaza’s humanitarian situation is dangerously eclipsing the urgent need to rescue hostages held by Hamas. Speaking with urgency, Rubio emphasized that three interconnected goals—humanitarian assistance, freeing hostages, and eliminating Hamas—must be pursued simultaneously to achieve lasting security in the region.
According to Rubio, Hamas continues to hold around 20 hostages in life-threatening conditions deep within tunnels beneath Gaza. These individuals, many of them civilians, are being used as leverage in ongoing negotiations and military operations. Despite their suffering, Rubio argued, they have received minimal international attention in recent months. He warned that any approach failing to address their situation is not only morally negligent but strategically flawed.
Rubio shared, “I’ve spoken often, almost daily, to somebody in the Israeli government, often to the prime minister but many times to many members of his team.”
He went on to explain the three “interrelated” problems in relation to Gaza.
“The first is there is a humanitarian problem that needs to be addressed. We’re working very hard to figure out ways to address it in ways that doesn’t benefit Hamas but that allows people to be fed and prevents a further humanitarian problem there that we’re seeing now… The second is that there are 20 innocent human beings that are being held hostage in horrifying conditions. And the third is that as long as Hamas exists, there will not be peace. There cannot be a permanent peace. It’ll restart again if Hamas remains,” Rubio added.
Rubio laid out the Trump administration’s approach to the crisis, highlighting a coordinated strategy centered on three priorities. First, providing humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza—without empowering Hamas or allowing them to redirect supplies for military use. Second, securing the release of the hostages through pressure and intelligence cooperation. Third, fully dismantling Hamas’s military infrastructure to prevent future attacks and restore lasting peace in the region.
Rubio also reaffirmed the Trump administration’s principle that Israel must retain full control over decisions related to its national security.
“You have to do all three, and all the talk is about humanitarian, which is important; we are willing to do a lot to be helpful there, but we have to focus on the other two. Those other two cannot be forgotten. And it’s all, the president has said he wants all the hostages out, not five, not seven, all of them, including the deceased hostages,” Rubio emphasized.
As Rubio made clear, solving one issue cannot come at the cost of another. A comprehensive, principled response is required—one that remembers the innocent lives still trapped underground.
