US Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the actions of Hamas during the release of the four Israeli hostages on Thursday and stated that if a group like Hamas existed on the other side of the US border, “we would wipe them out,” during an interview with Fox News on Friday.
It appeared that Rubio gave the interview prior to Israel’s identification process of the four slain hostages and, therefore, before the discovery that Shiri Bibas’s body was not returned, as agreed to in the deal between Israel and Hamas.
However, addressing Thursday’s hostage body release, Rubio told Fox it was a “reminder of who Hamas really is.”
“Just thinking about the fact they went in, grabbed this family, this young woman with her two infant children, and they died in their captivity. Who does that? Who kidnaps families? And they the way that they were released, with people cheering in the streets,” he said.
Rubio continued that Hamas “is not a government. It is not simply an ideological movement, [but] evil, terrible people.”
EXCLUSIVE: Our full, unedited interview with Secretary of State Marco Rubio(@SecRubio) on his first 30 days leading the Department.Restarting U.S./Russia relations following the Biden Administration, direct engagement with Ukraine, U.S. proposal for Gaza, preventing Iranian… pic.twitter.com/cxkHmNZWw0
— Catherine Herridge (@C__Herridge) February 21, 2025
“The idea that they would ever be allowed to continue, to have arms, to be militarized, and to control territory anywhere in the world, is unfathomable,” he said.
Rubio added that he was heartbroken for the families [of the returned bodies of hostages] and that while “you can’t be happy that remains are returned, it’s very important to these families, from a religious standpoint, it’s a sacred thing [to be able to bury a body].”
When asked about the success of Israel’s stated aim of destroying Hamas, Rubio said he couldn’t discuss intelligence, but he could say that Hamas is now weaker than they once were.
However, he added that the terror group “clearly have enough people to put on these shows, they clearly have enough people to be a threat at some level, but they can’t be allowed to reconstitute.”
The future of Gaza
“Hamas cannot be allowed to once again be a group that can do three things: terrorize the people of Gaza; attack Israel; and actually be a government or anything like a government anywhere in the world,” he said.
“As long as Hamas is in Gaza, there will never be peace in Gaza because they are going to go back to attacking Israel, and Israel is going to have to respond.” Rubio continued.
“I just ask everybody, if a group like that was operating on the other side of our border with Canada or Mexico, constantly launching attacks, if a group existed in Mexico that came across our border, kidnapped Americans, babies, and launched rockets, we would eliminate them, we would wipe them out, and no country in the world can coexist alongside a group whose intended purpose is the destruction of our state, and is willing to commit atrocities like this,” Rubio said.
“It’s in the best interest of everyone, including Palestinians, to get rid of Hamas because Hamas terrorizes them too. They hide behind these people,” he added.
Jesus Christ is King
