Marco Rubio to travel to Israel to meet with officials on Gaza

Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to Israel this weekend to discuss with officials the latest developments in the war in Gaza, the State Department said Friday.“In Israel, he will convey America’s priorities in the Israel-Hamas conflict and broader issues concerning Middle Eastern security, reaffirming the U.S. commitment to Israeli security,” State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Piggot said in a statement.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to Israel this weekend to discuss with officials the latest developments in the war in Gaza, the State Department said Friday.

“In Israel, he will convey America’s priorities in the Israel-Hamas conflict and broader issues concerning Middle Eastern security, reaffirming the U.S. commitment to Israeli security,” State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Piggot said in a statement. “He will also emphasize our shared goals: ensuring Hamas never rules over Gaza again and bringing all the hostages home.”

The visit comes at a moment of high tension for the longtime allies following Israel’s attempted assassination of Hamas leaders on Qatari soil earlier this week. Israel’s strikes in the middle of peace negotiations to end the war in Gaza have outraged Qatar, a key mediator in the war, as well as other key U.S. allies in the region and the Trump administration has attempted to distance itself from the action.

“The unilateral bombing inside Qatar, a sovereign nation working very hard and bravely taking risks alongside the United States to broker peace, does not advance Israel’s or America’s goals,” Dorothy Shea, the acting U.S. permanent representative to the UN, said Thursday at an emergency Security Council session.

President Donald Trump told reporters Tuesday that he was "very unhappy" with the Israeli strikes.