Tel Aviv: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday firmly stated that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), which he called a “subsidiary of Hamas,” cannot play any role in governing the future of Gaza.

Speaking at a press conference at the US Civil-Military Coordination Centre in Kiryat Gat, Israel, Rubio emphasised, “Here's a lot of work to be done here and there's going to be some impediments along the way and things of this nature that people put out there. Suffice it to say that everyone who signed onto this plan, all of these other countries agreed, and everyone agreed that Hamas cannot govern and cannot be involved in governing the future of Gaza. Everyone's agreed to that. That has to be part of this.”

Rubio added that the immediate priority is to sustain the ceasefire and ensure humanitarian aid reaches those in need. “We're still at the stage of just trying to maintain the ceasefire. We're trying to get humanitarian assistance to flow. We're trying to get to the stage of ensuring that all the commitments made, including the hostages, are lived up to,” he said.

The top US diplomat also highlighted ongoing security concerns in Gaza. “There are still terrorists inside of Gaza, particularly behind that yellow or in front of that yellow line,” Rubio noted, referring to demarcation zones in current military and humanitarian operations.

Addressing UN involvement, he clarified, “UNRWA is not going to play any role in it. The UN we can; we're seeing the work they're doing. The World Food Programme. There are also nonprofit NGOs, humanitarian assistance organisations that are involved in this. It's a conglomeration of about 8 to 12 groups that are here. The United Nations is here. They're on the ground. We're willing to work with them if they can make it work, but not UNRWA. UNRWA became a subsidiary of Hamas.”

Rubio’s remarks come amid growing US concern over Israel’s political developments, including the Knesset’s recent vote to advance two bills aiming to annex parts of the West Bank, which reportedly took Washington by surprise.

During his visit, Rubio also met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “build on the momentum towards durable peace and integration in the Middle East.” Several top White House officials, including US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, former US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, US Vice President JD Vance, and his wife Usha Vance, were also part of the meetings in Jerusalem. These engagements followed Israel’s announcement of a “renewed enforcement” of the ceasefire, in response to a series of Hamas attacks and retaliatory airstrikes in Gaza.