The U.S. does not want to wait “weeks and weeks” for the release of all of the hostages in Gaza, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in an interview on CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday, at the end of his visit to Israel — part of his first official trip to the region in his new role, including stops in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

“There are some [hostages] that are supposed to be released coming up next weekend,” Rubio said when asked about the second phase of the hostage-release and cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas. “We expect that to happen. But we’d like to see them all come out. We are not in favor of waiting weeks and weeks.”

Rubio added that drawing out the releases over the course of weeks “may be the process that’s in place because of the deal, but we would like to see them all out as soon as possible, and we continue to coordinate.”

The secretary of state emphasized that “every hostage needs to come home, every single one, without delay.” 

Rubio’s remarks came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff about the talks. Netanyahu sent a negotiating team to Cairo to “discuss the continued implementation of the first stage of the deal,” according to a statement from the prime minister’s office. Netanyahu has sought to extend the first stage to allow for more hostages to be released before the IDF is expected to withdraw further from Gaza, as stipulated in the second phase of the deal. The prime minister convened a security cabinet meeting on Monday to discuss the second stage of the agreement.

During his visit to Israel, Rubio met with Netanyahu, Israeli President Isaac Herzog and his Israeli counterpart, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar.

In a joint statement with Rubio on Sunday, Netanyahu thanked President Donald Trump for his “unequivocal backing for Israel’s policy in Gaza” and his work in helping secure the release of three hostages over the weekend, saying that the two leaders are working “in full cooperation and coordination.”

“I want to assure everyone who is now listening to us,” Netanyahu said, “President Trump and I are working in full cooperation and coordination between us. We have a common strategy and we can’t always share the details of this strategy with the public, including when the gates of hell would be opened, as they surely will if all our hostages are not released, until the last one of them.”

Rubio emphasized the need to free the remaining 73 hostages immediately in all of his public remarks, telling Herzog that Trump “is strongly and deeply committed to the goal of every single hostage returning home — every single one — and not resting, not being silent, not forgetting until all of them are home … That remains a very strong priority.”

Rubio also referred to Trump’s plan to evacuate Palestinians and have the U.S. rebuild Gaza as “not the same tired ideas of the past, but something that’s bold and something that frankly took courage and vision in order to outline.”

“It may have shocked and surprised many, but what cannot continue is the same cycle where we will repeat over and over again and wind up in the exact same place,” he added, referring to the multiple IDF military operations in Gaza over the last 20 years.

Netanyahu similarly repeated his endorsement of Trump’s plan to the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations — during its annual mission to Israel — on Sunday, soon after his meeting with Rubio: “President Trump has presented a bold new vision, the only viable plan to enable a different future for the people of Gaza, for Israel and for the region.”

“People often call Gaza the largest open-air prison, but not because of us,” Netanyahu said. “Hamas actively prevented civilians from evacuating war zones. If people want to emigrate voluntarily, they should have that choice. This is not ethnic cleansing; it’s about giving people agency over their own lives.”

A recurring theme in Rubio’s remarks was Iran’s sponsorship of the terrorist groups Israel faces in Gaza, Lebanon and beyond.

“At the core of all these challenges,” Rubio said at his meeting with Herzog, “whether it’s Hezbollah or Hamas … when Assad was in Syria and what we see even confronting America in Iraq, the Houthis, there’s one thing. What’s behind all of it? Iran. Iran. And by Iran I mean the regime.”

Rubio called Iran “the single greatest source of destabilization and sponsor of terrorism and violence on the planet … We cannot lose sight of that reality.” 

The secretary of state said in his statement with Netanyahu that “there can never be a nuclear Iran — a nuclear Iran that could then hold itself immune from pressure and from action. That can never happen. The president has been clear about that as well.”

Netanyahu told the Conference of Presidents: “As President Trump and Secretary Rubio have emphasized, we are committed to preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. This isn’t just critical for Israel and the United States; it’s essential for global security.”

Rubio also spoke about rising antisemitism on his visit to Yad Vashem, during which Sa’ar showed Rubio the names of his relatives in the Holocaust remembrance center’s book of names of those murdered in the Holocaust.

The Holocaust, Rubio said, “happened not so long ago. There are those alive today who survived it, who witnessed it as liberators and who witnessed it as those who said nothing while it happened. 

“This ancient poison called antisemitism, which has plagued mankind for centuries, has visited us now again in this new century,” he continued. “It hides behind geopolitics. It embeds itself in international organizations, in the curriculums of our colleges and universities, in the voices of some who hide in social media and even openly espouse this ancient poison.”

Rubio said, “This cannot be tolerated. This must be challenged everywhere it rears its head.”