Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday he was "committed" to a US proposal to take over Gaza and displace its Palestinian residents.
As US Secretary of State Marco Rubio began a visit to Saudi Arabia, a Saudi source told AFP Riyadh would host a regional summit later this week "to discuss Arab alternatives" to President Donald Trump's widely criticised plan for the Gaza Strip.
Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar and Kuwait will be represented at the Friday summit, the source said.
Rubio travelled to Riyadh from Israel, where he kicked off his first Middle East trip as Trump's secretary of state.
Following his meeting with Netanyahu on Sunday, Rubio said Hamas "must be eliminated", while the Israeli premier touted a "common strategy" between the two allies.
In a statement Monday, Netanyahu said he was "committed to US President Trump's plan for the creation of a different Gaza", also promising the after the war, "there will be neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority" ruling the territory.
The United States, Israel's top ally and weapons supplier, says it is open to alternative proposals from Arab governments, but Rubio has said for now, "the only plan is the Trump plan".
The United States has been pushing for a historic deal in which Saudi Arabia would recognise Israel, for which Riyadh has demanded the establishment of a Palestinian state -- long opposed by Israeli leaders and potentially in contradiction with Trump's Gaza plan.
Netanyahu's office said he would convene a meeting of his security cabinet on Monday to discuss phase two.
It said negotiators dispatched to Cairo would "receive further directives for negotiations on Phase II" after the cabinet meeting.
Earlier Netanyahu said he spoke with Rubio about "Trump's bold vision for Gaza's future" -- which experts have warned would violate international law -- and about way to "ensure that vision becomes a reality".
In a statement, Rubio called for the immediate release of all remaining captives.
Rubio called Iran the "single greatest source of instability in the region". Netanyahu said that with the support of the Trump administration, "I have no doubt that we can and will finish the job" against Iran. AFP
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