US's Rubio says 'there is no plan B for Gaza' as Board of Peace holds inaugural meeting

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - US Secretary of State Marco Rubio sought to rally support for an ongoing ceasefire in the besieged Gaza Strip, telling member states of President Donald Trump's Board of Peace that "there is no plan B."

"We have to get this right. There is no plan B for Gaza. Plan B is going back to war. No one here wants that," Rubio said as leaders and senior officials assembled for the board's inaugural meeting.

"Plan A, the only path forward, is one that rebuilds Gaza in a way of enduring and sustainable peace, where everyone can live there, side by side with one another, and never worry again about returning to conflict, to war, to human suffering and to destruction," he added.

The Board of Peace was established within the framework of efforts toward a peaceful settlement in the Gaza Strip. It has since expanded to promote peacemaking around the world. Washington has said additional states have since joined the initiative.

A US-backed ceasefire agreement has been in place in Gaza since Oct. 10, halting Israel’s two-year onslaught that has killed more than 72,000 people, mostly women and children, and injured over 171,000 since October 2023.

Despite the ceasefire, Israeli forces have committed hundreds of violations through shelling and gunfire, killing 611 Palestinians and injuring 1,630, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.