Rubio to visit Middle East as fragile Gaza ceasefire faces collapse

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
13 Feb 2025 06:00

Rubio will visit Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Israeli-occupied territories before Saturday.

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Secretary of State Marco Rubio stands with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, not shown, at the State Department, in Washington, the United States, on February 10, 2025. (AP)

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio will visit Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Israeli-occupied territories after participating in two events.

State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said that Rubio will meet with senior officials to discuss the release of Israeli captives from the Gaza Strip and to "advance phase II of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza."

Rubio will also attend the Munich Security Conference and the G7 Foreign Ministers Meeting, Bruce stated.

The announcement comes after a serious breakdown of the ceasefire agreement, spurred by "Israel's" continuous violations of the deal's terms. The Palestinian Resistance's leadership has since announced that it will not release the next batch of Israeli captives, subject to be exchanged for Palestinian detainees on Saturday.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has set Saturday noon as a deadline for the release of "all" captives, threatening to let all hell loose if the demand is not met. Trump's remarks, as well as his plan for a Gaza "takeover", jeopardizing the foundations of the ceasefire agreement, which he had reportedly pushed for.

The Palestinian Resistance vowed commitment to the ceasefire agreement only after the Israeli regime did so. A statement released by al-Qassam Brigades spokesperson Abu Obeida pointed to "Israel's" failure to meet agreed-upon amounts of humanitarian aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip, as well as the continued targeting of Palestinians.

Rubio's trip to the region comes at a critical juncture, as US and Israeli mobilization risk reigniting conflict, following a 15-month-long war.