US vows Hamas disarmament in talks on next Gaza phase

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday (19 December) urged the disarmament of Hamas but voiced hope for headway on reaching the next stage of a Gaza ceasefire as regional officials met.

Top officials of Qatar and Egypt -- key mediators of the ceasefire -- and regional power Turkey headed on Friday to Miami to meet US envoys including Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump's friend and roving envoy.

Rubio acknowledged difficulties in achieving peace in Gaza, saying that the ceasefire that went into effect in October with the release of hostages amounted to a "miracle."

"Every day will bring new challenges to that, and we recognise those challenges are coming from all sides," Rubio told a news conference in Washington.

During the second stage, Israel is supposed to withdraw from its positions in Gaza, an interim authority is to govern the Palestinian territory instead of Hamas, and an international stabilisation force is to be deployed.

Rubio warned that the process would unravel without disarming Hamas.

"If Hamas is ever in a position in the future that they can threaten or attack Israel, you're not going to have peace," Rubio told journalists, adding: "That's why disarmament is so critical."

Hamas's Gaza chief Khalil al-Hayya said Sunday Hamas men had a "legitimate right" to hold weapons. Israel has repeatedly insisted that Hamas will be disarmed.

Another top Hamas official said that the talks must aim to end Israeli truce "violations."

"Our people expect these talks to result in an agreement to put an end to ongoing Israeli lawlessness, halt all violations and compel the occupation to abide by the Sharm El-Sheikh agreement," Hamas political bureau member Bassem Naim told AFP.

Upbeat on troops

Rubio was also hopeful that countries would send troops as part of the force in Gaza.

"I feel very confident that we have a number of nation states acceptable to all sides in this who are willing to step forward and be a part of that stabilisation force," Rubio said.

In response to a question, he pointed to Pakistan, which does not recognise Israel but is considering a troop deployment as it seeks to woo Trump.

"We're very grateful to Pakistan for their offer to be a part of it, or at least their offer to consider being a part of it," Rubio said.

"I think we owe them a few more answers before we can ask anybody to firmly commit."

President Prabowo Subianto of Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation which also does not have diplomatic relations with Israel, offered in September to contribute 20,000 peacekeepers.

Israel, however, has voiced opposition to a role by Turkey, which recognises Israel but whose president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is a vocal critic of Israel's conduct in Gaza.

'Real pressure' needed

Gaza's civil defence said five people were killed in Israeli shelling of a shelter.

It brings to 400 the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli fire in the territory since the ceasefire came into effect on October 10.

Israel has also repeatedly accused Hamas of violating the ceasefire, with the military reporting three soldiers killed in the territory since the truce entered into force.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said that steps must be taken to halt truce violations.

The international community must "exert real and effective pressure to halt all violations that occur on a daily basis of the ceasefire agreement," he told a news conference in Cairo.

Hamas's Naim said the new talks should also boost the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza.

In the first phase of the deal, Palestinian fighters committed to releasing the remaining 48 living and dead captives held in the territory. To date, they have released all of the hostages except for one body.

The ceasefire's third phase includes plans for the reconstruction of the vast areas of Gaza levelled by Israel's retaliatory military campaign for Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel.