On October 5, 2025, the world’s attention remained fixed on the Middle East as U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio addressed the fraught state of negotiations between Israel and Hamas. Despite a temporary pause in some Israeli airstrikes over Gaza, Israeli officials made it clear there was no formal ceasefire in place. The region—still reeling from nearly two years of conflict—waited anxiously to see whether the latest diplomatic efforts would finally bring an end to the violence.
Appearing on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Rubio set the tone for the day: “The conflict in Gaza has not yet ended,” he said, emphasizing that while the release of hostages held by Hamas was a significant step, it was merely the first phase of President Donald Trump’s proposed peace plan. “There’s some work that remains to be done,” he told moderator Kristen Welker, noting that the next steps would require painstaking negotiations and international cooperation, according to NBC News.
The immediate focus of the plan, as Rubio explained, was the release of all Israeli hostages in exchange for Israel’s withdrawal to what’s been termed the “yellow line”—a demarcation corresponding to Israel’s position inside Gaza in mid-August 2025. “Priority number one, the one that we think we can achieve something very quickly on hopefully, is the release of all the hostages in exchange for Israel moving back,” Rubio said, as reported by News18.
Rubio added that Hamas had “basically” accepted Trump’s framework for a hostage release, and that technical talks were underway to hammer out the logistics. “They have also agreed, in principle and generalities, to enter into this idea about what’s going to happen afterwards. A lot of details are going to have to be worked out there,” he cautioned. The Secretary of State stressed that the world would soon know if Hamas was genuinely committed to the agreement: “We will know very quickly whether Hamas is serious or not by how these technical talks go in terms of the logistics,” he said, referencing the ongoing discussions about Red Cross access, timing, and locations for the exchange.
Still, Rubio was careful to temper expectations. “No one can tell you it’s a 100 percent guarantee,” he told Fox News, highlighting the uncertainty that continues to cloud the process. According to the Associated Press, President Trump had set a deadline for Hamas to agree to the peace deal by Sunday evening, threatening an even greater military onslaught if the group failed to comply.
Hamas, for its part, announced on October 3, 2025, that it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, and expressed willingness to negotiate through mediators on Trump’s 20-point peace plan. “President Trump’s statements on the immediate cessation of Israeli bombings in the Gaza Strip are encouraging,” Hamas spokesman Taher al-Nunu told AFP. “Hamas is ready to immediately begin negotiations to achieve a prisoner exchange, end the war and ensure the withdrawal of the (Israeli) army from the Gaza Strip,” he added.
As the first phase of the plan—hostage release and Israeli withdrawal—moved ahead, attention turned to the far more complex second phase: establishing a new governance structure for Gaza. The Trump peace plan, which has been publicly backed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a White House visit in late September or early October, calls for Gaza to be governed under a temporary transitional authority composed of a technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee. Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007, would have no role in the new administration. “Everyone has agreed, including Israel, that eventually, at some point here as this process plays out, Gaza will be governed by a Palestinian technocratic group that’s not Hamas, that are not terrorists, with the help and the assistance and the guidance of an international consortium like the board of peace,” Rubio echoed on NBC News.
The plan, however, is not without its challenges—or its critics. Rubio acknowledged the daunting task ahead: “The challenge will be establishing a Palestinian technocratic authority that isn’t Hamas, disarming militant groups, and ensuring they don’t rebuild tunnels or resume attacks. That’s the critical part—without it, there won’t be lasting peace.” He was blunt about the timeline, warning, “You can’t set up a governance structure in Gaza that’s not Hamas in three days. I mean, it takes some time.”
Negotiations are now focused on two fronts: first, the logistics of the hostage exchange, and second, the creation of new Palestinian leadership. Trump administration special envoy Steve Witkoff and presidential advisor Jared Kushner are slated to attend negotiations in Cairo, where in-depth talks are set to begin, according to NBC News. The parties must decide not only how hostages will be released but also who will assume control of territory as Israel withdraws. “When we ask Israel, ‘OK, you’re at the yellow line, now everything behind it you have to turn it over,’ You have to have somebody to turn it over to,” Rubio explained. “So, I mean, let’s be realistic here. You can’t just set up a sort of new governance structure inside of Gaza in 72 hours.”
As for the broader implications, the Trump peace plan envisions Gaza under international governance, with Trump and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair overseeing the transition. Notably, the plan provides no path for Gaza’s eventual reunification with the Israeli-occupied West Bank as part of a future Palestinian state, a point that has drawn criticism from some quarters, according to the Associated Press.
The stakes could hardly be higher. The Israel-Hamas war, which began on October 7, 2023, after Hamas-led attacks killed 1,200 Israelis and led to the abduction of 251 people, has left a devastating toll. As of October 5, 2025, Gaza’s Health Ministry reported that the Palestinian death toll had surpassed 67,000, with more than 700 newly verified names added in recent days. Tuesday will mark the grim second anniversary of the conflict’s outbreak. Of the 48 hostages believed to remain in Gaza, Israel estimates only 20 are still alive.
For families on both sides, the uncertainty is agonizing. The prospect of a ceasefire, the return of hostages, and a new beginning for Gaza are tantalizingly close—yet the path forward is riddled with obstacles, delays, and the ever-present threat of renewed violence. As negotiations continue, the world watches, hoping that this time, peace might just have a fighting chance.
