Rubio Rejects Netanyahu's 70 Percent Gaza Seizure Plan
Testifying before the House Appropriations Committee to defend the State Department's budget, Rubio was pressed hard by Democratic Rep. Rosa DeLauro over Netanyahu's directive ordering the Israeli military to "take over" 70% of Gaza's territory.
"We have a plan. It doesn't call for that," Rubio said.
When pushed further on his personal position regarding Netanyahu's remarks, Rubio reiterated: "He made that statement, but that's not part of this plan."
DeLauro escalated her challenge, accusing the Trump administration of having "forgotten about the crisis in Gaza," and failing to implement its own 20-point framework. Rubio rejected the accusation outright.
"No, no one's forgotten about it," he said.
"There's not active combat operations happening of the kind that we saw a few months ago, but it's still a challenge that we're going to work through," he added.
On the status of President Donald Trump's 20-point plan, Rubio said Washington is actively seeking an international stabilization force for Gaza — but only if Hamas agrees to disarm first.
"No one's going to invest money in Gaza until Hamas is demilitarized, because they know there's going to be another war," he said, noting that regional partners are similarly pressing Hamas to comply.
Despite a ceasefire that came into effect on Oct. 10, 2025, the Gaza Media Office reports that Israeli forces have killed 932 Palestinians and wounded 2,859 others in near-daily attacks since the truce began. The two-year conflict preceding the ceasefire — dating to October 2023 — killed nearly 73,000 Palestinians and injured more than 173,000, the majority of them women and children, according to Palestinian figures.
Trump's 20-point plan was structured in two phases. The first encompassed a halt to hostilities, partial Israeli withdrawal, hostage-prisoner exchanges, and the full resumption of humanitarian aid. The second mandates deployment of an international stabilization force, Hamas disarmament, full Israeli withdrawal, and the installation of a technocratic Palestinian governing committee to administer Gaza on a temporary basis.
Netanyahu acknowledged last Thursday that Israeli forces currently control approximately 60% of Gaza, while announcing plans to expand that footprint to 70%. That figure itself marks an expansion from the 53% Israel previously claimed following its pullback to what it designated the "Yellow Line" under phase one of the Trump-backed plan.
'De Facto Annexation' of the West Bank
DeLauro also confronted Rubio over Israeli conduct in the West Bank, warning that what she described as "a de facto annexation" of the territory was incompatible with any viable two-state solution. Rubio maintained that Trump has consistently and publicly opposed unilateral changes to the West Bank's status.
"The president has stated clearly and repeatedly, he is not in favor of these changes, or just changes in the status in the West Bank — it potentially complicates our ability to work out the deal in Gaza," Rubio said. "We've shared that with our Israeli counterparts as well."
Violence across the occupied West Bank has surged dramatically since the Gaza war erupted in October 2023. Palestinian officials report 1,168 deaths, 12,666 injuries, nearly 23,000 arrests, and the displacement of roughly 33,000 people. Authorities have further accused Israeli forces and settlers of accelerating settlement expansion, demolishing homes and infrastructure, and driving communities from their land throughout the occupied territory.
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