Republican Senator Marco Rubio arrived in Israel to discuss the war in Gaza after an Israeli strike on Hamas figures in Qatar provoked international condemnation, joining Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for a visit to the Western Wall in Jerusalem.
Rubio said U.S. President Donald Trump was unhappy with the strike but that the U.S.-Israeli relationship remained "very strong." He told reporters the administration's priority remained the return of all hostages and an end to the fighting. Rubio said the Israeli attack complicated but did not necessarily break ties with Qatar, which he described as "good partners on a number of fronts."
The Israeli strike in Doha reportedly hit senior Hamas leaders who were in Qatar to discuss a U.S. proposal for a ceasefire. Doha condemned the attack as a "cowardly" and "flagrant violation of international law" and said it would host an emergency Arab-Islamic summit to consider next steps. Netanyahu said the strike was "fully justified" because it targeted those he described as responsible for organising the Oct. 7 attacks that killed about 1,200 people in southern Israel and resulted in scores of hostages taken.
The incident intensified pressure on already fraught diplomatic efforts to secure a ceasefire and hostage releases. Families of Israeli hostages said the strike in Qatar undermined a potential deal and blamed Netanyahu for blocking progress. Israel said the operation targeted senior militants and that it was cooperating with partners to facilitate aid to Gaza and to pursue military objectives.
On the ground in Gaza City, Israeli forces have continued a campaign of wide-ranging strikes that local officials and international monitors say has destroyed dozens of residential buildings and forced mass displacement. BBC-verified footage showed munitions striking the al-Kawthar tower, and local officials told Reuters that at least 30 residential structures had been demolished in recent operations.
Israel said it carried out five waves of air strikes on the city over the past week, targeting more than 500 sites it described as Hamas reconnaissance and sniper positions, tunnel openings and weapons depots. The Israel Defense Forces has urged Gaza City residents to move south; it estimated about 250,000 people had left the area, though hundreds of thousands were believed to remain. Hamas urged civilians not to leave, saying southern areas were not safe.
The intensification of attacks in an area where the United Nations and global food-security experts declared famine on Aug. 22 has raised urgent humanitarian alarms. The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza reported that 68 bodies arrived at hospitals over one 24-hour period and said at least 144 people had died from starvation and malnutrition across the territory since the famine declaration. Israel has disputed those figures and said it was increasing efforts to facilitate aid deliveries.
The conflict began after the Oct. 7 Hamas-led assault on southern Israel, which Israeli authorities say resulted in about 1,200 dead and 251 people taken hostage. Since then, Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry has reported at least 64,871 people killed in Israeli strikes across the territory. The figures from both sides have been central to international debate over civilian harm, military necessity and the delivery of humanitarian assistance.
Displaced Gazans described worsening conditions. "The bombardment intensified everywhere and we took down the tents, more than 20 families, we do not know where to go," said Musbah al-Kafarna, who fled Gaza City, speaking to Reuters about the swelling numbers of internally displaced people.
Qatar's role as a mediator and host to some Hamas officials has come under scrutiny after the strike on Doha. The Gulf state, which hosts significant U.S. facilities and has mediated previous hostage and ceasefire talks, urged restraint and convened regional partners to coordinate a response. International reactions have been mixed, with some governments condemning Israel's action in Qatar and others backing Israel's stated security rationale.
Rubio's visit underscored U.S. attention to both the diplomatic fallout from the Doha strike and the humanitarian emergency in Gaza. He said discussions would focus on the immediate objectives of securing hostages and increasing humanitarian access while managing the wider diplomatic repercussions of operations beyond Gaza's borders.
As military operations continue, international agencies and diplomats have renewed calls for increased aid access and protections for civilians. The trajectory of both battlefield operations in Gaza City and diplomatic efforts in the region will shape prospects for any ceasefire and the fate of hostages held by Hamas.