Jerusalem (AP) – US Secretary of State Marco Rubio And Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday vowed that Hamas must be removed, all hostages were released to gain peace in Gaza, calling for a temporary ceasefire in support of the immediate end of the conflict.
Rubio was in Israel Looking for answers from Netanyahu about how Israel went in Gaza and how Qatar intended to appreciate its interest in maintaining its mediation role Israel attacked Hamas leaders in Doha. After the lecture, the two stated that the only way to peace was to complete destruction of Hamas and the return of all living and dead hostages.
“As long as they are around, they are not agents of peace, so there is no peace in this area. They are agents of the wild bar,” Rubio said of Hamas.
Comments came on Monday as Israel continued its attack on Gaza City. Israel ordered the evacuation of another skyscraper, one of the tallest in Gaza city. Recently, Israeli forces have slammed several skyscrapers and accused Hamas of putting in surveillance devices.
The airstrikes killed at least 12 people, including children, health officials at Shifa Hospital, where the bodies were brought in, said.
Rubio’s visit progressed despite President Donald Trump’s rage in Netanyahu Israeli strike in Doha He said he had not been notified to the United States in advance. The Doha attack, which killed at least six people, also appears to have ended the Israeli Hama ceasefire and attempts to secure hostage releases.
After the Israeli strike, he appeared to have little sunlight between the US and Israel after Rubio and Netanyahu met, despite comments by Trump that he was “not excited.” “Your presence in Israel today is a clear message that America is standing with Israel. You are standing with us in the face of fear,” Netanyahu said.
When asked by a reporter about how the US handles Israeli attacks in Doha, Rubio did not respond directly. The US said it will focus on what will happen next and will continue to encourage Qatar to play a role in its talks.
Rubio downplayed concerns about Israel’s latest operation in Gaza city and repeated several times that Trump decided to see the conflict end and the destruction of Hamas was necessary.
And Netanyahu did not show that Israel would retreat from strikes on skyscrapers and other buildings in Gaza, where Hamas fighters say they were hiding.
Concerns about the perception of the Palestinian state
One reason Rubio visited Jerusalem was to show his support for Israel. This is because we expect many European countries and Canada to face international condemnation of war at the UN General Assembly, which states that they intend to recognize the Palestinian state beyond the fervent opposition of the US and Israel.
Rubio said that national perceptions are in fact counterproductive to peace efforts, suggesting that such a declaration is selfish.
“They have no effect on bringing us closer to the Palestinian state at all. The only real impact they have is that it feels more encouraging to Hamas,” he said. “It actually serves as a barrier to peace.”
Netanyahu also strongly opposes the perception of the Palestinian state.
Israel is attacking in Gaza city
Hospital staff said one of the overnight strikes struck a tent with family in West Gaza, killing seven people. Another strike hit two neighboring homes.
“It was another night of terror. …The situation is tragic and worsening every day,” said Mohammed Saber, a resident of Gaza City.
Israel has urged the Palestinians of Gaza to head south. However, there is little space for people to evacuate what Israel calls humanitarian zones, and many families have no money to leave.
Even so, many people are moving. On Monday, the images showed the steady flow of Palestinians driving along narrow sea roads that Israel designated a safe corridor.
The war in Gaza began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and acquiring 251 people. There are still 48 hostages left in Gaza.
Israeli retaliatory attacks have killed at least 64,871 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health.
___
Magiddy reported from Cairo. Julia Frankel, Associated Press Writer in Jerusalem, contributed to this report.
___
Follow the AP war report https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war
