Netanyahu said that the decision to target Hamas's leadership in Qatar was a purely Israeli decision, stressing that cooperation with Washington has never been stronger.
He pointed out that Rubio's visit carries a clear message of the United States' full support for Israel in its "fight against terrorism," as he put it, while vowing to launch "more strikes against Hamas leaders wherever they may be," as he put it.
For his part, Rubio stressed the need to end "Hamas' presence as an armed entity that threatens the stability of the region," noting that Palestinians in Gaza deserve a better future that cannot be achieved "while Hamas is in control and holding Israeli hostages."
While Rubio avoided answering a question about the recent Israeli attack on Qatar, he affirmed that Washington will continue to "encourage Doha to play a constructive role in the Gaza issue," noting that "movements to recognize a Palestinian state do not bring the region closer to establishing a Palestinian state," he said.
Regarding the Iranian issue, Rubio promised Israel that Washington will continue to exert "maximum pressure" on Iran to prevent it from developing a nuclear weapon, stressing that Washington "will continue to exert maximum economic pressure on Iran until it changes its policy."
These statements come amid escalating tensions in US relations with some of its allies in the Middle East, amid the ongoing Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip and the expansion of settlements in the occupied West Bank.
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The Doha Summit affirms "absolute solidarity" with Qatar and calls for a review of relations with the occupation.
Gulf leaders call for a defense meeting in Doha in response to Israeli aggression.
Erdogan meets with leaders of Arab and Islamic countries on the sidelines of the Doha summit.
The occupation forces kill a sports player and his family in Gaza, and the number of journalist martyrs in the Strip rises to 251.
On Tuesday, the Israeli occupation army launched an airstrike on the Hamas leadership in Doha. Qatar condemned the attack, reiterating its right to respond to the attack, which killed a member of the Qatari internal security forces.
Hamas announced that its negotiating delegation, led by its head in Gaza, Khalil al-Hayya, survived an assassination attempt. The head of Hamas's office, Jihad Labad, his son, Humam al-Hayya, and three bodyguards were killed.
With American support, Israel has been committing genocide in Gaza since October 7, 2023, leaving 64,871 Palestinians dead, 164,610 injured, most of them children and women, hundreds of thousands displaced, and a famine that has claimed the lives of 422 Palestinians, including 145 children.
For decades, Israel has occupied Palestine and territories in Syria and Lebanon, and refuses to withdraw from these territories and establish an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, along the pre-1967 borders.
