US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday there was “no plan B” to President Donald Trump's Gaza peace proposal.
During a visit to Israel, Mr Rubio said the US was committed to making the plan work, as there was no alternative.
“This is the best plan, it's the only plan, it's one that we think can succeed,” he said during a press conference.
Under the first phase of the Trump deal, a ceasefire came into effect in Gaza on October 10, halting Israel's two-year war in the strip and enabling the release of hostages held by Hamas in exchange for Palestinians detained by Israel.
The second phase focuses on the disarmament of Hamas and the future governance of Gaza – sticking points that have caused previous truce talks to fall through.
The plan proposes the establishment of an international stabilisation force to help maintain the ceasefire. Negotiations are continuing among UN Security Council members and regional powers over the structure of the mission, which is expected to play a role in disarming Hamas.
Mr Rubio said the demilitarisation of Gaza is an important objective of the Trump deal, as it will help to ensure Israel's long-term security. Efforts are continuing to make sure that “commitments are met on both sides”, he told journalists.
The Gaza Health Ministry said at least 89 people have been killed and 317 injured since the ceasefire took effect.
“If Hamas refuses to disarm, it will be a violation of the agreement, and that will have to be enforced,” Mr Rubio said, without explaining how. “But that's not something we're going to start talking about. We fully expect Hamas to demilitarise as that is the agreement they signed on to, and we expect it to be fulfilled.”
The Secretary of State described the proposal as a long-term plan with “a lot of work to be done”.
While there is a consensus that Hamas cannot be involved in the governing of Gaza, Mr Rubio said “we're not at that stage yet”.
“Everyone talking about that is getting way ahead of themselves,” he said. “We're not even two weeks into this.”
“We're at the stage of just trying to maintain the ceasefire, to get humanitarian assistance to flow, to ensure there are no threats against Israel emanating from Gaza. That's what everyone is working on, even as we work on other elements of the plan,” he said.
Hamas and other Palestinian factions, including its rival Fatah, on Friday expressed support for the terms of the ceasefire, after two days of meetings in Cairo.
In a joint statement, the factions said they were in agreement that the administration of the enclave would be handed over to “a temporary Palestinian committee composed of independent technocrats from the Gaza Strip”.
They committed to work together to “unify visions and positions to confront the challenges facing the Palestinian cause”. The factions also called for an end to the torture and abuse of Palestinians held in Israeli jails.
Mr Rubio is the fourth US official to visit Israel this week after a wave of intense Israeli air strikes on Gaza on Sunday, suggesting the deal is still at the forefront of the Trump administration’s priorities.
Vice President JD Vance, who arrived on Tuesday, said the US administration was committed to the “very difficult task” of disarming Hamas and rebuilding Gaza.
During the Vice President's trip, Israeli legislators issued a preliminary approval of two draft laws to annex the occupied West Bank, infuriating Washington. The annexation has been deemed a “red line” by Arab states that supported and signed Mr Trump's Gaza plan.
Asked about the vote, Mr Vance said: “If it was a political stunt, it is a very stupid one, and I personally take some insult to it.”
Mr Rubio said on Friday that the vote aimed to “embarrass the Israeli Prime Minister while the Vice President was there”. Mr Netanyahu has distanced himself from Wednesday's vote. An annexation of the West Bank is “not going to happen,” Mr Rubio added.
“It's a threat to the peace process, and if something like this were to happen now, a lot of countries involved [in the Trump deal] won't be any more,” he said.
Mr Trump on Thursday also brushed off concerns that Israel might attempt annexation. “Don’t worry about the West Bank,” he told reporters. “Israel is not going to do anything with the West Bank … Israel is doing very well, they’re not going to do anything with it.”
