President-elect Donald Trump is expected to select Florida Sen. Marco Rubio as his secretary of state, Reuters has reported.
Rubio – a staunch ally of Trump – serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and is the leading Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee. The secretary of state is the U.S. government’s chief diplomat, responsible for managing international relations, implementing foreign policy, and overseeing the Department of State.
The person stepping into the role after Antony Blinken will have a full in-tray to deal with, including managing relations with China and Russia, and handling conflict and tensions in the Middle East.
Rubio has been outspoken about the Israel-Hamas conflict, and his support of Israel, following the October 7, 2023 attack, when Hamas launched a widescale assault on Israel, in which around 1,200 people were killed and some 251 were taken hostage in the Palestinian enclave of Gaza, from where Hamas primarily operates.
US Senator Marco Rubio, Republican of Florida, speaks next to former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump during a campaign rally at the PPL Center in Allentown, Pennsylvania, on October 29, 2024.President-elect Donald… More ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty
Israel retaliated and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to eradicate Hamas. Since then, over 42,792 people have been killed in Gaza, 16,765 of whom were children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
Newsweek looks at what the man likely to be taking the lead on stabilizing the region has said about the Israel-Hamas conflict.
“Complete Eradication of Hamas In Gaza”
In October 2023, Rubio said on X, formerly Twitter, that Israel has “no choice but to seek the complete eradication of Hamas in Gaza.”
He said that “this tragically necessary effort will come at a horrifying price” and added that, “The price of failing to permanently eliminate this group of sadistic savages is even more horrifying.”
