Rubio: The United States is not looking to manage the Gaza Strip.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the United States does not seek to manage the Gaza Strip, and that the agreement is based on handing over the administration of the sector to a Palestinian civilian authority, clarifying that this will take time.

He continued, "The Israelis do not want to govern Gaza, we do not want to govern Gaza, and no country in the Middle East wants to govern Gaza," noting that it requires time to build these capabilities, and during the transitional period, security must be provided.

Rubio expressed optimism that the United Nations Security Council will issue a resolution regarding Gaza that supports the deployment of an international security force.

He told reporters after a meeting of the G7 foreign ministers in Canada, "We feel optimistic, I think we are making good progress in drafting the resolution, and we hope to take action on it very soon."

The U.S. Secretary of State added that the United States is talking to various countries about ways to "balance its interests here and how to organize that beyond the security force."

The multinational force - which is likely to include troops from Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, and the UAE - is part of President Donald Trump's plan to stop the war in Gaza.

Last week, the United States began circulating a draft resolution that would follow up on the ceasefire in Gaza, which Trump has pushed to finalize.

Rubio believes that deploying an international force in the Palestinian sector is crucial to allow more aid to enter and to marginalize Hamas.

He said, "If you really want to see a significant improvement - not just in humanitarian aid, but in reconstruction - you will need security."

For his part, a U.S. official stated that President Trump's aides are making progress in talks to find a solution to the issue of Hamas militants in Rafah, adding that they are marketing a compromise solution with the parties regarding the fighters.

The official confirmed that efforts to locate and deliver the remaining Israeli bodies are ongoing, which is an important element in maintaining the ceasefire in Gaza.

He noted that the situation in Gaza is extremely fragile, and they continue to work with international partners to maintain the peace plan's trajectory.

He added that the United States does not plan to build a military base for U.S. forces near Gaza, and they are discussing with partners the possibility of establishing a military base in southern Israel to host the international stabilization force.

According to the first phase of the ceasefire agreement reached last month through international mediation, the entire city of Rafah is now behind what is known as the "yellow line," an area under the control of the Israeli occupation army, including areas that still have active resistance tunnels.

It is estimated that there are between 150 and 200 fighters in it according to Israeli estimates.

The issue of the trapped fighters surfaced on the 19th and 29th of last month following "two security incidents" in which three Israeli soldiers were killed, prompting the occupation army to respond with extensive and violent shelling targeting various areas of the sector, resulting in the martyrdom and injury of nearly 300 Palestinians.

In light of these developments, Israeli officials insisted that Hamas fighters face two options: surrender or death, which negatively impacted the delivery of the bodies of the fallen Israeli captives and led to delays on several occasions.

For its part, Hamas informed the mediators guaranteeing the Gaza agreement that it is ready to extract the fighters, but it confirmed that "surrender is not an option in its dictionary," warning of escalation if the occupation forces attempt to invade its fighters' positions.

In a related context, media reports spoke of American attempts to contain the crisis, as U.S. envoy Jared Kushner asked the Israelis to allow the fighters in Rafah to move to Hamas-controlled areas in the Gaza Strip.