US: Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday that stopping Hamas from continuing to pose a danger to Israel is necessary for any long-term peace in Gaza.

“Hamas cannot pose a threat to Israel in the future,” Rubio said. He said that disarmament must be the main goal of peace initiatives.

During his year-end press conference, Rubio told reporters, “So that’s why disarmament is so critical.”

Rubio emphasized the idea but refused to get into details of the talks. He said, “I won’t go into the specifics of those kinds of negotiations.”

He cautioned against reconstructing Gaza in the absence of security assurances. “If people think there will be another war in two or three years, you won’t get them to invest in Gaza,” Rubio said.

He explained the effects of resuming hostilities. “You won’t have peace if two years from now Hamas is launching rockets, killing Israelis, or carrying out another terrorist attack like the one that occurred on October 7,” he said.

According to Rubio, disarmament would need cooperation from many parties. In reference to Hamas, he said, “It would have to be something obviously that they’re willing to agree to,” adding that “Israel agrees to in order for that to work.”

“The focus should continue to be on preventing future violence,” he stated. Rubio said, “No one wants a return to a war.”

Israel launched a military incursion in Gaza after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing over 1,200 people. Gaza has been devastated, and tens of thousands of Palestinians have been dead.

The US has argued that the future of Gaza depends on eliminating terrorist rule while maintaining workable administration, and it has attempted to strike a balance between aid for Israel, humanitarian access, and post-conflict planning.

In an effort to work with neighboring countries to combat organized crime and migration, Washington has charged Caracas with threatening regional stability.