DOHA, Qatar — Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s visit to Israel sends a “clear message” of support, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday, as it emerged that a key Qatari negotiator narrowly avoided an Israeli strike because their meeting was delayed.
Rubio landed in Jerusalem on Sunday seeking answers from Israel after its unprecedented attack on Hamas leaders inside Qatar, another key American partner in the Middle East. The Trump administration has sought to distance itself from the strike, which has outraged regional powers and could have escalated even further.
Qatar’s key negotiator, who regularly talks to both Israel and Hamas, was due to be at the villa that Israel struck last Tuesday, a diplomat with knowledge of the talks told NBC News. At the last moment his meeting with Hamas was delayed, they said.
Rubio said Saturday that the U.S. was unhappy about the attack on the building in Qatar’s capital, Doha, but Netanyahu emphasized the enduring U.S.-Israel alliance as the two spoke to reporters.
“America has no better ally than Israel, and of course, Israel has no better ally than America,” he said, adding that President Donald Trump is the “greatest friend” Israel has ever had in the White House.
“Your visit to Israel today is a clear message that the United States stands with Israel,” he said to Rubio.
Rubio, too, promised “unwavering support” for Israel’s goals in Gaza, saying Hamas must be “eliminated” and the hostages returned “immediately.”
“As much as we may wish that there’d be a sort of a peaceful, diplomatic way to end it, and we’ll continue to explore and be dedicated to it, we also have to be prepared for the possibility that that’s not going to happen,” he added.
Despite the public show of unity, Rubio's trip underlines Washington’s delicate effort to balance relations with key allies while managing the fallout of the attack.
Rubio will travel to Qatar on Tuesday after meeting with Netanyahu in Israel, then make his way to the U.K., according to a senior State Department official.
On Sunday, Qatar began hosting a summit of Arab and Muslim leaders in the wake of the strikes, which drew condemnation from the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and other regional powers.
The Supreme Council of the Gulf Cooperation Council said in a statement Monday that the attack was “a blatant assault on the efforts of the international community and its international organizations aimed at achieving a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of hostages and detainees, and constitutes a flagrant violation of international law.”
The United Nations Human Rights Council said it would hold an urgent debate Tuesday to “discuss the recent military aggression” by Israel on Qatar.
Trump met with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in New York on Friday, days after Israel’s strike. The Qatari premier, who accused Israel of having “killed any hope” of releasing hostages still held in Gaza, also met with Rubio and Vice President JD Vance.
Elsewhere, Israeli forces have intensified aerial attacks on famine-stricken Gaza City and nearby areas in recent weeks, as part of an operation to occupy the city.
At least 34 people died after being taken to hospitals across Gaza in the past 24 hours, health officials said Monday, adding that a number of victims were still trapped under the rubble and on the streets.
The offensive has prompted mass displacement and worsening humanitarian conditions. Israeli authorities said Saturday that roughly 250,000 Palestinians had fled Gaza City after evacuation orders.
Israel launched its military campaign after the Hamas-led terror attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, in which 1,200 people were killed and around 250 people taken hostage.
Since then, Palestinian health officials say, Israeli forces have killed almost 65,000 people in Gaza, including thousands of children, while driving most of the population from their homes and destroying or damaging most of its buildings and infrastructure.
Keir Simmons and Charlene Gubash reported from Doha and Freddie Clayton from London.
