The US State Department on Wednesday issued an official statement about Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s visit to the Middle East , which will include a stop in Israel. “Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to Munich on February 13 to participate in the Munich Security Conference, where he will discuss a range of US priorities with international partners. While in Munich, Secretary Rubio will also participate in the G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting. He will then travel to Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates from February 15-18,” said State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce. She added that Rubio’s visit to Israel “will center on freeing American and all other hostages from Hamas captivity, advancing to Phase II of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, and countering the destabilizing activities of the Iranian regime and its proxies.” The statement also said that Rubio’s engagements with senior officials “will promote US interests in advancing regional cooperation, stability, and peace.” Earlier on Wednesday, a Hamas official said that the terror group will release hostages as planned on Saturday. The official stressed that the terror group will not release all of the hostages on Saturday, only those set to be released under the agreement already signed. The comments came as the deal appeared to be in jeopardy in recent days, after Hamas spokesperson Abu Obaida said that the terrorist organization would postpone the next release of hostages , claiming that Israel violated the terms of the agreement. In response, US President Donald Trump warned Hamas, “As far as I'm concerned, if all of the hostages aren't returned by Saturday at 12:00 o'clock, I think it's an appropriate time, I would say cancel it and all bets are off and let hell break out.” Related articles: Eli Sharabi to share captivity story at UN Security Council I would encourage Hamas to get much more sensible Israeli media star celebrates with released hostages Captivity survivor Karina Ariev leads parade “I'd say they ought to be returned by 12:00 o'clock on Saturday. And if they're not returned, all of them, not in drips and drabs, not two and one and three and four and two, Saturday at 12:00 o'clock. And after that, I would say all hell is going to break out,” he added. However, Trump also acknowledged that such a decision would be up to Israel, saying, “I'm speaking for myself. Israel can override it.”
