US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told hostage families Trump administration must explore 'new options' after ceasefire talks collapsed again
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has admitted to hostage families during Friday's meeting that “we need to do some serious rethinking,” following yet another collapse in Gaza ceasefire negotiations, American media outlet Axios reported, citing two people who attended a meeting at the US State Department.
Six months into US President Donald Trump’s return to the White House, his administration is facing growing internal and international pressure to reassess its Gaza policy, as the war rages on with no political breakthrough and worsening humanitarian conditions.
The talks broke down after Hamas rejected the latest terms and Israel withdrew its delegation.
"In most calls and meetings, Trump told Bibi (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu), ‘Do what you have to do in Gaza,’" an Israeli official told Axios, noting Trump even encouraged harsher action at times.
Trump’s stance took a sharper turn Friday in Scotland when he said: "It is getting to be that time," suggesting Israel should escalate its efforts to "get rid" of Hamas and "finish the job."
Israeli officials remain unsure whether Trump’s comments were meant as a negotiating tactic or a green light for intensified military action, according to Axios' report.
Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, killing over 59,700 Palestinians, most of them women and children. The relentless bombardment has destroyed the enclave and led to food shortages.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
-'New options' needed: Rubio
While Trump was one of the first world leaders to publicly acknowledge starvation in Gaza, he has applied little pressure on Israel to ease restrictions. Instead, he endorsed the controversial Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which bypasses the UN.
Hundreds have died trying to access its aid centers.
Rubio, in Friday’s meeting, reportedly criticized the incremental truce-for-hostage approach that began under the Biden administration and continued under Trump.
He hinted it might be time for a more comprehensive solution: "We need to come to the president with new options," he said.
Trump and senior envoy Steve Witkoff had previously helped broker a ceasefire in January, but the deal fell apart when Israel resumed attacks in March.
Despite internal doubts about the phased truce model, Trump supported it publicly, with the sole success being the release of US citizen Edan Alexander, achieved by bypassing Netanyahu.
Now, with the US and Israel increasingly isolated from traditional Western allies, and criticism mounting, including a sharp rebuke Friday from France, Germany, and the UK, declaring: "The humanitarian catastrophe that we are witnessing in Gaza must end now."
