U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that Washington will seek to transfer authority in the Gaza Strip to Palestinian civilian institutions as progress is made in resolving the conflict in the enclave.

“We would ultimately like to see civilian authorities in Gaza, Palestinian civilian authorities. That is our goal. We would like to see a Palestinian police force in Gaza,” Rubio told reporters before his trip to Israel, according to a transcript published on the State Department’s website.

He emphasized that the full elimination of Hamas’s influence remains a non-negotiable condition for the gradual transfer of power to the Palestinians in Gaza. Rubio also noted that any future Palestinian police forces would need to be trained and prepared by specialists from other countries.

“Obviously, this will take some time, because you can’t just hire people into the police; they need to be vetted, trained, and the entire infrastructure must be ready. This process has only been underway for seven or eight days, so there is still much work ahead, but we are determined to see it through,” Rubio added.