United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited the Western Wall while in Israel Sunday, where he is expected to discuss recent Israeli strikes on Hamas leaders in Qatar. Despite criticism of the strikes from United States President Donald Trump, Israel’s Prime Minister insisted that relations between the U.S. and his country has “never been stronger,” according to the BBC.
The relationship between the countries is as “durable as the stones in the Western Wall,” Netanyahu added in Jerusalem on Sunday.
Before the trip, Rubio said while the president was “not happy” with the Qatar strikes, “we need to move forward and figure out what comes next.”
“Because at the end of the day, there is still a group called Hamas — an evil group that still has weapons and is terrorizing,” Rubio said on Saturday. “There are still 48 hostages that deserve to be released immediately, all at once. And there is still the hard work ahead, once this ends, of rebuilding Gaza in a way that provides people the quality of life they deserve.”
The Israel-Hamas war started on Oct. 7,2023, when Hamas militants invaded southern Israel, killing 1,200 and taking 251 hostage. Since then, the Israeli offensive has killed at least 64,871 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
On Rubio’s schedule for his Israel trip are meetings in Jerusalem on Sunday and with Netanyahu on Monday, The Associated Press reported.
Qatar Prime Minister response to strikes
Meanwhile, on Sunday, Qatar Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani condemned the recent strikes, calling them “state terrorism” and “an approach pursued by the current extremist Israeli government, which flouts international law.”
“The reckless and treacherous Israeli aggression was committed while the state of Qatar was hosting official and public negotiations, with the knowledge of the Israeli side itself, and with the aim of achieving a ceasefire in Gaza,” Sheikh Mohammed was quoted by the AP as saying.
He added that Qatar is still committed to working with the United States and Egypt to get a ceasefire agreement in the war, though “it is time for the international community to stop applying double standards and punish Israel for all the crimes it has committed.”
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum also criticized Netanyahu’s actions in Qatar, saying every time a deal approaches, “he sabotages it.”
“The time has come to end the excuses designed to buy time so he can cling to power,” the Forum said in a Saturday statement. “His stalling has already cost us the lives of 42 hostages and threatens the lives of additional hostages who are barely surviving after nearly two years in captivity, as well as the recovery of those who have died.”
Israel in August ramped up offensive operations and declared Gaza City a “combat zone,” a move that has been internationally denounced by officials and humanitarian organizations.
On Sunday, Reuters reported, Israeli troops destroyed at least 30 residential buildings in Gaza City, according to Palestinian officials. Thousands of people had to leave their homes as a result, Reuters wrote.
Around13 Palestinians were killed after Israeli strikes in Gaza, local hospitals told the AP.
In addition, two Palestinians died of malnutrition and starvation over the past 24 hours, per the Gaza Health Ministry, bringing the total number of these deaths to 422 people.
Aid groups and experts have said there is a famine in Gaza due to restrictions on aid by Israel. Though Israel has said it is providing assistance, aid workers say it is not enough. Palestinians have also been killed at aid sites ran by the U.S. and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
