Again, US, Israel threaten to ‘open the gates of hell’ on Gaza

Top US diplomat Marco Rubio and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented a united front Sunday against their common enemies, threatening to “open the gates of hell” on Hamas and “finish the job” against Iran.

The pledges came during a joint address to reporters in Jerusalem, where Rubio began his first Middle East trip as secretary of state in President Donald Trump’s new administration.

“Hamas cannot continue as a military or a government force… they must be eliminated,” Rubio said of the Palestinian Islamist group that fought Israel for more than 15 months in Gaza until a fragile ceasefire took effect on January 19.

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Rubio also called Iran the “single greatest source of instability in the region”.

Standing beside Rubio, Netanyahu said the two allies had “a common strategy”, and that “the gates of hell will be opened” if all hostages still held by militants in Gaza are not freed.

Netanyahu said that with the support of the Trump administration, “I have no doubt that we can and will finish the job” against Iran.

“Israel and America stand shoulder to shoulder in countering the threat of Iran,” he said.

Netanyahu’s comment echoed one made by Trump ahead of Saturday’s swap with Hamas. Trump had said “all hell” would break loose and that he would call for the truce deal’s cancellation if the hostages weren’t freed on Saturday.

Trump had made a widely condemned proposal to take control of Gaza and relocate its more than two million residents.

“We discussed Trump’s bold vision for Gaza’s future and will work to ensure that vision becomes a reality,” Netanyahu said.

The scheme that Trump outlined earlier this month while Netanyahu was visiting Washington lacked details, but he said it would entail moving Gazans to Jordan or Egypt.

Trump said Palestinians had “lived a miserable existence” in Gaza, and suggested the coastal territory could be redeveloped into the “Riviera of the Middle East”.

Washington, Israel’s top ally and weapons supplier, says it is open to alternative proposals from Arab governments, but Rubio has said that for now, “the only plan is the Trump plan”.

The international community, however, including Saudi Arabia and other Arab states, is largely in favour of a two-state solution, with a Palestinian state alongside Israel.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Sunday said the establishment of a Palestinian state was “the only guarantee” of lasting Middle East peace.