{"id":31598,"date":"2025-09-15T08:53:53","date_gmt":"2025-09-15T05:53:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/?p=31598"},"modified":"2025-09-15T22:05:13","modified_gmt":"2025-09-15T19:05:13","slug":"us-secretary-of-state-marco-rubio-visits-israel-as-tensions-rise-after-qatar-attack","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/us-secretary-of-state-marco-rubio-visits-israel-as-tensions-rise-after-qatar-attack\/","title":{"rendered":"US Secretary of State Marco Rubio visits Israel as tensions rise after Qatar attack"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

5 minute read<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Israel on September 14, 2025, as the country intensified its assault on Gaza City, flattening residential towers and forcing mass displacement.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rubio\u2019s visit comes days after Israeli strike on Hamas officials in Qatar, a move that has strained Washington\u2019s efforts to secure a ceasefire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that U.S.-Israeli relations have \u201cnever been stronger\u201d despite U.S. frustration over Israel\u2019s recent strike on Hamas operatives in Qatar. His comments came during a visit to the Western Wall on Sunday alongside U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Netanyahu described the relationship \u201cas durable as the stones in the Western Wall,\u201d emphasizing resilience even amid disagreements. Rubio, however, noted that U.S. President Donald Trump was \u201cnot happy\u201d about the attack, which targeted Hamas officials in Doha while ceasefire talks were underway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After his visit to Israel, Rubio will travel to Qatar, where Arab and Muslim leaders have gathered to condemn Israel\u2019s attack last week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Rubio\u2019s Visit and US Position<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking before he arrived in Israel, Rubio said the strike in Qatar had complicated Washington\u2019s efforts to secure a ceasefire and hostage release deal. \u201cObviously, we\u2019re not happy about it. The president was not happy about it. Now we need to move forward and figure out what comes next,\u201d Rubio told reporters at Joint Base Andrews.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rubio stressed that the Trump administration\u2019s priority remains the return of all Israeli hostages and the eventual end of the war. He added that Qatar, which hosts a key U.S. air base, remains \u201ca good partner on several fronts\u201d despite the fallout from the Israeli strike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rubio\u2019s visit comes as Israeli forces intensify attacks in Gaza City, destroying residential towers and displacing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians. The U.S. is balancing its support for Israel with efforts to maintain ties with Qatar, an ally central to regional diplomacy.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"U.S.<\/a>
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, Israel, on September 14, 2025. (Image Credit: X\/@netanyahu)<\/sup><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Doha has strongly condemned the strike, calling it \u201ccowardly\u201d and a \u201cflagrant violation of international law.\u201d Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani urged the international community to \u201cabandon double standards\u201d and hold Israel accountable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the condemnation, Qatar signaled that it will continue its mediation efforts. \u201cIsrael\u2019s practices will not stop Qatar\u2019s efforts to mediate an end to the war in Gaza,\u201d the prime minister said at a preparatory meeting for an emergency Arab-Islamic summit, which opens Monday in Doha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Netanyahu defended the strike as \u201cfully justified,\u201d claiming it targeted Hamas leaders who organized the October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel. Critics, however, argue that the move has further undermined ceasefire negotiations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Hostage Concerns<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, representing relatives of those held in Gaza, accused Netanyahu of undermining progress toward a deal. \u201cEvery time a deal approaches, Netanyahu sabotages it,\u201d the group wrote on social media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Israeli officials, 48 hostages remain in Gaza, of whom about 20 are believed to be alive. Families of the captives have called Netanyahu \u201cthe one obstacle\u201d to their return.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have ordered civilians to leave Gaza City ahead of an expected ground offensive, estimating that about 250,000 people have already fled. However, hundreds of thousands remain, with many saying they cannot afford to leave or believe the south is no safer, given continued airstrikes there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Footage showed bombs striking the Al Kawthar tower in Gaza City on Sunday, while local officials reported at least 30 residential buildings destroyed in recent days. The IDF said it carried out five waves of airstrikes in the city, targeting more than 500 locations, including Hamas reconnaissance sites, tunnel entrances, and weapons storage facilities.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Israeli<\/a>
An Israeli tank maneuvers in Gaza, as seen from the Israeli side of the border, on July 6, 2025. (Image Credit: Reuters\/Amir Cohen)<\/sup><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Residents described the situation as desperate. \u201cThe bombardment intensified everywhere, and we took down the tents, more than 20 families, we do not know where to go,\u201d said Musbah Al Kafarna, displaced in Gaza City.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Civilian Deaths and Famine Warning<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The United Nations has warned that Israel\u2019s military escalation risks deepening the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where famine was declared in late August. Since then, at least 144 people have died from starvation and malnutrition, according to Gaza\u2019s health ministry. Israel disputes those figures but says it is working to expand aid deliveries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two more Palestinians died of starvation-related causes on Sunday, bringing the official death toll from malnutrition to 277 adults and 145 children since October 2023, according to Gaza health officials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since the start of the war on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants killed about 1,200 people in southern Israel and abducted 251 hostages, the Hamas-run health ministry says at least 64,871 people have been killed in Gaza by Israeli strikes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The UN has warned that Israel\u2019s planned occupation of Gaza City could push civilians into \u201can even deeper catastrophe.\u201d Aid organizations and human rights groups argue that the continued bombardment of residential areas violates international law. Israel denies accusations of genocide and maintains its operations are aimed solely at dismantling Hamas infrastructure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Local hospitals reported at least 13 more Palestinians killed and dozens wounded in Israeli strikes on Sunday. Targets included a vehicle near Shifa hospital, a roundabout in Gaza City, and a tent in Deir Al Balah that killed six members of the same family, including three children.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"A<\/a>
A Palestinian girl Jana Ayad, who is malnourished, rests on a bed as she receives treatment at the International Medical Corps field hospital in Deir Al-Balah in the southern Gaza Strip, on June 22, 2024. (Image Credit: Reuters\/Mohammed Salem)
<\/sup><\/em>
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n


Diplomatic Balancing Act<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rubio\u2019s visit underscores Washington\u2019s challenge in managing relations with both Israel and Qatar. On Friday, he and President Trump met with Qatar\u2019s prime minister to address the fallout from the Israeli strike. The meetings highlight U.S. attempts to maintain balance between allies while international condemnation of Israel grows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Doha attack appears to have ended immediate efforts toward a ceasefire and hostage release deal. With the UN General Assembly session approaching, the war in Gaza is set to dominate global debate over recognition of a Palestinian state and the future of the conflict.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Israel on September 14, 2025, as the country intensified its assault on Gaza City, flattening residential towers and forcing mass displacement. Rubio\u2019s visit comes days after Israel\u2019s strike on Hamas officials in Qatar, a move that has strained Washington\u2019s efforts to secure a ceasefire.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":31604,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[44,1,125],"tags":[877,75,208,92,93,60,26,27,49,71,97,7,17,625],"class_list":["post-31598","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-middle-east","category-news","category-united-states","tag-aid","tag-conflict","tag-diplomacy","tag-gaza","tag-hamas","tag-humanitarian-crisis","tag-israel","tag-palestine","tag-peace","tag-politics","tag-qatar","tag-u-s","tag-un","tag-united-nations"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/US-Rubio-Israel-Netanyahu.jpg?fit=690%2C370&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7jJWb-8dE","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31598","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31598"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31598\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31610,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31598\/revisions\/31610"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31604"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31598"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31598"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31598"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}