United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio has pledged the Trump administration’s full support for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a visit to Jerusalem, stating that Washington’s priorities remain the liberation of Israeli hostages and the destruction of Hamas.
Standing alongside Netanyahu, Rubio made no reference to a possible ceasefire and avoided repeating earlier criticism of Israel over last week’s airstrike in Doha, the capital of Qatar, which targeted Hamas leaders. Asked whether further strikes on Qatar could be ruled out, Netanyahu said Israel would adhere to the principle that “terrorists would not have immunity where they are, wherever they may be.”
The US State Department confirmed that Rubio would travel to Doha on Tuesday before heading to London, as Washington seeks to limit diplomatic fallout in the Gulf following the Israeli strike.
At an emergency Arab and Islamic summit in Doha, Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, accused Israel of attempting to derail ceasefire negotiations. He said the strike was aimed at undermining talks, noting that “whoever works diligently and systematically to assassinate the party with whom he is negotiating, intends to thwart the negotiations.”
Hamas leaders had been in Doha to discuss a ceasefire proposal advanced by President Donald Trump, which aligned with Israel’s preference for a one-step deal to release all 20 remaining hostages believed to be alive, along with the bodies of 28 others. Hamas had previously accepted a phased ceasefire plan proposed by US envoy Steve Witkoff.
Rubio reiterated that the US would remain committed to pursuing a peaceful resolution, but insisted that such an outcome depended on the elimination of Hamas. He warned that moves by several US allies, including the UK, France, Canada, Belgium and Australia, to recognise Palestine would make peace “harder to negotiate” and could provoke an Israeli counter-response, potentially including annexation of parts of the occupied West Bank.
The secretary of state declined to comment on Israel’s planned ground offensive in Gaza City. In recent days, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have demolished residential blocks and ordered evacuations, prompting international condemnation. Tens of thousands have fled south, but many of the estimated one million residents remain, citing lack of safe refuge. The UN relief agency, Unrwa, reported that 10 of its facilities, including seven schools and two clinics, had been struck in the past four days.
Netanyahu defended the operations, describing the targeted buildings as Hamas strongholds and accusing the group of using civilians as human shields. UN rapporteur Francesca Albanese said the offensive aimed to render Gaza City uninhabitable, a claim rejected by Israel’s UN mission.
Reports in Israeli media suggest IDF Chief of Staff Lt Gen Eyal Zamir has expressed doubts over the Gaza City campaign, warning it would not destroy Hamas and could endanger both soldiers and hostages. Zamir is said to have criticised the US-Israeli backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation as a “failure” and questioned its expansion.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum has urged the IDF to halt the offensive, warning that military pressure risks killing captives and burying bodies beyond recovery.
At the Doha summit, Qatar’s emir accused Israel of prioritising the destruction of Gaza over the safe return of hostages. The Israeli strike in Doha killed Hamas aides and a Qatari security officer, though the intended targets were reportedly in another building. Netanyahu said the raid was an “independent decision” by Israel and insisted it had succeeded in sending a message to Hamas leaders.
Axios reported that Netanyahu informed Trump of the planned strike only shortly before it was carried out, with US officials learning of the attack as Israeli jets were already en route.
According to official figures, more than 64,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the conflict began, with thousands more feared buried in rubble. The majority of the dead are civilians, including by the IDF’s own estimates. Netanyahu faces an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court on war crimes charges, while the International Court of Justice is considering allegations of genocide, charges Israel denies, citing self-defence following the Hamas attack of 7 October 2023, which killed 1,200 Israelis, most of them civilians.
