Israel welcomed U.S. diplomat Marco Rubio on Sunday, days after an unprecedented Israeli strike in Doha that targeted Hamas leaders and drew a rare public rebuke from President Donald Trump, complicating fragile diplomatic efforts to secure a truce in the Gaza war.
Israeli officials said the strike in Qatar, which Israel described as aimed at senior Hamas figures it accused of obstructing ceasefire talks, removed a key obstacle to ending the conflict. U.S. officials have acknowledged their displeasure with the operation, and Rubio — who arrived at Ben Gurion International Airport on Sunday — said the United States and Israel would need to discuss the strike’s impact on efforts to negotiate a ceasefire.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended the operation, saying eliminating senior Hamas officials would facilitate an end to the war. The strike in Doha targeted Hamas leaders who, according to Israeli statements, were meeting to consider a U.S. ceasefire proposal. Security footage released by regional media shows the moment of the attack.
White House officials said Trump was "not happy" about the strike, while stressing it would not alter the broad U.S.-Israel relationship. Ahead of Rubio’s departure for the region, a State Department spokesman said the senator’s trip would underscore American opposition to what Washington described as "anti-Israel actions," including possible unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state by other Western nations at an upcoming United Nations gathering.
Rubio’s visit includes a planned meeting in Jerusalem with Netanyahu and a visit to the Western Wall, the prime minister’s office said. State Department remarks ahead of the trip signaled Washington’s intent to maintain close strategic ties with Israel even as it seeks to manage the diplomatic fallout from the Doha operation.
The strike has intensified international concern that Israel’s military campaign in Gaza is further imperiling a path to an immediate truce. Israel has in recent days stepped up operations in Gaza City, ordering evacuations and demolishing high-rise buildings it says were used by Hamas. The United Nations has declared a famine in Gaza City and surrounding areas, and estimated roughly one million people remain in the enclave despite Israeli evacuation orders.
Gaza’s civil defence agency reported that Israeli strikes killed at least seven people since dawn Sunday, and witnesses who fled western Gaza City described continued bombardment. Media restrictions inside Gaza and limited access for international reporters have prevented independent verification of many battlefield claims by either side.
The wider diplomatic landscape shifted this week when the U.N. General Assembly voted to back a revival of the two-state solution. Britain, France and several other Western allies have indicated they will recognise a Palestinian state at an upcoming U.N. session, a move diplomats said was driven by frustration over Israel’s conduct in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. Washington has warned against unilateral recognition, and U.S. officials said Rubio’s visit would include messaging on that point.
The war, which began after Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israel that killed more than 1,200 people, has resulted in heavy civilian tolls. Palestinian health authorities in Gaza, whose figures the U.N. regards as a reliable source of civilian casualty counts, put the death toll in Gaza at more than 64,000. Of the 251 people taken hostage by Palestinian militants in October 2023, Israeli authorities say 47 remain in Gaza and 25 are believed dead.
At home, growing public pressure has targeted Netanyahu’s government to secure the release of remaining hostages in exchange for progress toward ending the war. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, a principal campaign group for relatives of those taken in 2023, said Saturday that government policy was obstructing efforts to free captives.
Analysts said Rubio is unlikely to press Israel toward a ceasefire during his short visit. Brian Katulis, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, said the administration’s approach showed limited urgency in achieving a truce and was influenced by domestic political alignments in Washington. Rubio’s meetings in the coming days will test whether U.S. attempts to balance staunch support for Israel with mediation efforts can prevent further escalation in Gaza and the wider diplomatic rift following the Doha strike.