Live Update 
From the Liveblog of
Sunday, February 16, 2025
From the Liveblog of
Sunday, February 16, 2025
Rubio hails release of 3 more hostages, warns Hamas it is ‘playing with fire’
Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks during a press conference in Jerusalem on February 16, 2025. (Evelyn Hockstein/ POOL/ AFP)
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio hails this weekend’s release of American-Israeli citizen Sagui Dekel-Chen along with two other hostages, while demanding that Hamas immediately release all 73 remaining hostages, including American-Israeli Edan Alexander and the bodies of four other US citizens.
“The fact that these terrorists continue to hold hostages and even dead bodies reflects their sick depravity. I call on our partners to help impress upon Hamas’ leaders that they are playing with fire,” Rubio says in a statement issued by his office while he is traveling in Israel.
