Israel security cabinet to discuss new phase of Gaza truce

Jerusalem, Feb. 18: Israel's security cabinet was set to discuss on Monday the next phase of the ceasefire with Hamas, as top US diplomat Marco Rubio began a visit to Saudi Arabia where he will push Donald Trump's proposal for a US takeover of Gaza.

Rubio travelled to Riyadh from Israel, where he kicked off his first Middle East trip as Trump's secretary of state.

"Hamas cannot continue as a military or a government force... they must be eliminated," Rubio said in Israel of the Palestinian Islamist group whose October 7, 2023 attack triggered a 15-month war that has devastated Gaza.

Standing beside him, Netanyahu said the two allies had "a common strategy", and that "the gates of hell will be opened" if all hostages held by militants in Gaza are not freed.

The comments came a day after Hamas freed three Israeli hostages in exchange for 369 Palestinian prisoners -- the sixth such swap under the ceasefire deal, which the United States helped mediate along with Qatar and Egypt.

Israel and Hamas have accused each other of violating the ceasefire, which has been further strained by Trump's widely condemned proposal to take control of rubble-strewn Gaza and move its more than two million residents out of the territory.(AFP)