US President Donald Trump said on Sunday evening that it was up to Israel what the next step in Gaza would be, but only after "consulting with me."

Trump told reporters, commenting on the release of the Israeli prisoners from the Gaza Strip, that "the good news is that they (the prisoners) are in very good condition."

On Saturday, the Palestinian resistance handed over 3 Israeli prisoners, one of whom holds American citizenship and the other Russian, to the International Committee of the Red Cross, which in turn transferred them to the Israeli army as part of the sixth batch of the deal.

In return, the Israeli occupation authorities released 369 prisoners, including 333 from Gaza, who were arrested after October 7, 2023, in addition to 36 prisoners serving life sentences.

Regarding his statement a few days ago about his invitation to the Israeli Prime Minister to do whatever he wanted in Gaza, Trump explained that this was due to “Hamas’ threat that it would not hand over the last batch of prisoners under the agreement.”

He added that Hamas had ultimately committed to releasing the Israeli prisoners, who he said appeared to be "in very good condition."

Trump stressed that "the decision on the next step will be for Israel in consultation with me."

Trump did not mention his plans to force the people of Gaza out to Egypt and Jordan so that he could take over Gaza and make it the Riviera of the Middle East.

But his Secretary of State Marco Rubio reiterated the White House's positions on Gaza, saying President Donald Trump "has been clear in his view" on the future of the territory.

Rubio said, in a joint press conference in Jerusalem with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, that Hamas must be eliminated, explaining, "Hamas cannot continue as a military force or a government... it must be eliminated."

"We should not repeat the mistakes of the past and Hamas cannot have a future in Gaza," he added.

The US official stressed that President Donald Trump believes that "used ideas cannot be repeated in Gaza."

Commenting on Trump's idea of taking over Gaza, he said, "The president was very bold in his view of what the future of Gaza should be, not the same boring ideas from the past, but something bold and something, frankly, that requires courage and vision. What cannot continue is the same repetition."

The US Secretary of State also spoke about the countries of the region and “the security challenges to Israel,” saying, “Syria should not be a platform for threatening other countries,” and he stressed that “the Lebanese government must disarm Hezbollah.”

Hamas and Islamic Jihad released three Israeli hostages on Saturday who had been held in the Gaza Strip since the October 7, 2023 attack, while Israel released 369 Palestinian prisoners from its prisons in the sixth exchange as part of the truce agreement.

US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff revealed on Sunday that talks had been held with Israeli, Qatari and Egyptian officials regarding a ceasefire agreement in Gaza.

In an interview with Fox News, Witkoff said he had held separate talks on the issue with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, and Egyptian intelligence chief Hassan Rashad.

He stressed that "talks will continue to find out how to successfully reach the end of the second phase of the Gaza agreement."

The American official stated that the ceasefire agreement in Gaza "is still in place," revealing that an Israeli delegation will head to Doha to discuss the matter.

Witkov pointed out the possibility of "light shooting" in the Gaza Strip, "but it will not affect the steadfastness of this agreement so far."

The spokesman called for "fruitful talks" on the future of Gaza based on President Donald Trump's plan, saying the Strip had become "a difficult place to live in."

He said, "What I saw in Gaza is a warning... the Strip is completely destroyed... 30,000 unexploded materials and ammunition, which poses a threat to life there."

Asked about Trump's plan to seize Gaza and transfer its 2.2 million residents to Egypt and Jordan, Witkoff said, "We have the Egyptians saying they have a plan for Gaza, the Jordanians saying they have a plan for Gaza, and President Trump has said his plan... Maybe we should engage in productive talks about the future of Gaza."