Rubio lands in Israel to discuss Gaza war amid tensions over Qatar strike

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Israel on Sunday to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu amid tensions over Israel’s strike in Qatar and its growing settlement expansion in the West Bank.

The visit comes after Israel launched an airstrike on a building in Doha last week, killing aides to a Hamas leader and a Qatari officer. The attack, the first on US ally Qatar, drew sharp criticism and complicated efforts to secure a truce in Gaza. Several Western allies, including the UK, France, Canada, Australia and Belgium, are also expected to formally recognise Palestine soon.

Before leaving Washington, Rubio admitted the US was displeased. “Obviously, we’re not happy about it. The president was not happy about it. Now we need to move forward and figure out what comes next,” he told reporters. But he stressed the incident was “not going to change the nature of our relationship with the Israelis.”

Israel has sought to downplay differences with Washington. “We have a very close dialogue with the administration. We’re coordinated with them and, relatively speaking, the American reaction was reasonable,” Israeli ambassador to the UN Danny Danon told army radio. He added that while the UN expressed “minor reservations,” Israel had accepted that “this would have a price.”

Danon also accused Qatar of exploiting the incident. “From their perspective, they are leveraging this incident. From our perspective, we delivered the clear message that we will pursue the terrorists everywhere.”

When asked about threats of further strikes in Qatar, Rubio said, “We’re going to meet with them. We’re going to talk about what the future holds. I’m going to get a much better understanding of what their plans are moving forward.”

In Jerusalem, Rubio visited the Western Wall with Netanyahu before continuing his talks. He said his focus was “on securing the return of hostages, finding ways to make sure humanitarian aid reaches civilians, and addressing the threat posed by Hamas.”

Trump has openly criticised Netanyahu for the Qatar strike, which targeted Hamas leaders discussing a ceasefire proposal. Netanyahu defended the move, saying killing Hamas commanders would remove the “main obstacle” to peace.

The attack has heightened diplomatic strain as Israel intensifies its Gaza campaign, urging evacuations and demolishing high-rise buildings it says were used by Hamas.

Rubio, after Israel, is set to join Trump during his visit to the UK this week, where Britain will reportedly admit its first group of children from Gaza for treatment.