The Japan Times - As Rubio visits, Netanyahu praises Trump's 'bold' Gaza vision

Washington's top diplomat is on his first visit to the Middle East, a trip that comes after Trump made a widely-condemned proposal to take control of Gaza and relocate its more than two million residents.

"We discussed Trump's bold vision for Gaza's future and will work to ensure that vision becomes a reality," Netanyahu told reporters after their meeting, adding that the two leaders had a "common strategy" for the future of the war-ravaged Palestinian territory.

The scheme that Trump outlined earlier this month, while Netanyahu visited Washington, lacked details. Trump said Palestinians had "lived a miserable existence" in Gaza and suggested the coastal territory could become the "Riviera of the Middle East", following redevelopment after more than 15 months of war.

Though Netanyahu welcomed the idea, foreign leaders have largely rejected it.

Netanyahu warned Israel would "open the gates of hell" in Gaza unless all hostages were returned, echoing Trump, who said "hell" would break out if Hamas failed to release them.

Rubio arrived hours after Hamas freed three Israeli hostages in Gaza in exchange for 369 Palestinian prisoners -- the sixth swap under a fragile ceasefire which the United States helped mediate along with Qatar and Egypt.

"At any moment the fighting could resume. We hope that the calm will continue and that Egypt will pressure Israel to prevent them from restarting the war and displacing people," said Nasser al-Astal, 62, a retired teacher in southern Gaza's Khan Yunis.

Washington, Israel's top ally and weapons supplier, has said it is open to alternative proposals from Arab governments but insists that, for now, "the only plan is Trump's".

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Sunday said the establishment of a Palestinian state is "the only guarantee" of lasting Middle East peace.

Rubio is due to also visit Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Overnight, Israel said it received a shipment of US-made bombs, after the previous Biden administration blocked a shipment of heavy 2,000-pound ordnance.

- Brink of collapse -

Hamas and Israel are implementing the first, 42-day phase of the ceasefire that began on January 19 but nearly collapsed last week.

Israel had warned Hamas it must free three living hostages by the weekend or face renewed fighting.

The freed hostages -- Israeli-American Sagui Dekel-Chen, 36, Israeli-Russian Sasha Trupanov, 29, and Israeli-Argentine Yair Horn, 46 -- returned to emotional family reunions.

Flanked by armed and masked Hamas fighters on a stage, they had to undergo a last-minute ordeal of speaking in front of the crowds as the militants staged a show of force.

Israel freed 369 Palestinian prisoners, mostly Gazans detained during the war, but also some serving life sentences for attacks on Israelis.

Footage aired by Israeli media showed Palestinian prisoners in sweatshirts bearing a Star of David and the slogan: "We will not forget and we will not forgive."

They tore them off upon reaching Gaza and burned them in a bonfire at the reception point in Khan Yunis.

Since the truce began last month, 19 Israeli hostages have been released in exchange for more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners.

Out of 251 people seized in Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that sparked the war, 70 remain in Gaza, including 35 the Israeli military says are dead.

- Heightened tensions -

Negotiations on a second phase of the truce, aimed at securing a more lasting end to the war, could begin this week in Doha, a Hamas official and another source familiar with the talks have said.

Trump has warned of repercussions for neighbouring Egypt and Jordan unless they accept displaced Gazans under his plan.

Diplomats say Egypt is leading efforts to propose an alternative focused on training a new security force and appointing local Palestinian leaders.

Rubio has said he believed Arab states were "working in good faith".

On Sunday, speaking alongside Netanyahu, he said: "Hamas cannot continue as a military or a government force... they must be eliminated."

The October 7, 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,211 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.

On Sunday, Hamas said an Israeli air strike killed three police officers near south Gaza's Rafah. Israel said it struck "several armed individuals" in south Gaza.

It is at least the second Israeli air strike in Gaza since the ceasefire began.

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K.Yamaguchi--JT