US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Monday that the Gazan people cannot have peace or a better future without Hamas being disarmed and all hostages returned home, during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem.
“Every hostage must be brought home immediately, and Hamas must be eliminated as an armed group,” Rubio declared after the bilateral meeting. The U.S. official emphasized that President Donald Trump remains committed to these goals.
The meeting comes a week after the Israeli attack in Qatar that surprised the Trump administration and raised questions in Washington.
The meeting included Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi, and Israeli Ambassador to Washington Yechiel Leiter, as well as U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee.
Netanyahu defended the operation in Doha as a “completely independent decision” by Israel. “We take full responsibility,” the prime minister stressed, calling the criticism of the attack “immense hypocrisy,” despite the fact that Trump himself was among those who questioned the Israeli action.
“We are focused on what happens next,” Rubio said when asked about the attack in the Qatari capital, where Israel tried to eliminate Hamas leaders who were discussing the latest US cease-fire proposal.
The Israeli prime minister cited the UN resolution passed after September 11, which states that no country can harbor terrorists. “You have no such sovereignty when you have given a base to terrorists,” argued Netanyahu, who appeared to acknowledge that Israel had failed to eliminate Hamas leaders, but asserted that the attack sent a message: “You can hide, you can run, but we will catch you.”
During the joint statements, Rubio praised the “common resolve” between the United States and Israel, as well as Trump’s decision to attack Iran’s nuclear program. The secretary of state emphasized that Iran poses a threat not only to Israel and the United States, but also to Gulf and European allies, calling a nuclear Iran an “unacceptable risk” to the world.
Netanyahu thanked Trump for his help and reaffirmed Israel's commitment to returning all hostages and defeating Hamas in Gaza. The prime minister described Rubio's presence as a clear signal that the United States stands with Israel against antisemitism and the"weak governments" that demonize the country.
"We will continue to act together to confront common enemies and protect our common civilization," Netanyahu said, praising Trump's"consistent and bold" leadership and his efforts to strengthen bilateral relations.
Rubio condemned Hamas’s “unprecedented barbarity” and reiterated that some fundamentals remain unresolved regardless of what happened in Qatar: the hostages remain captive, and Hamas still exists. “All of these issues must be addressed,” the U.S. official emphasized.
According to US sources cited by The Washington Post, Rubio will travel to Qatar on Tuesday, where officials from across the Arab and Muslim world are formulating a joint response to the Israeli attack. The US ambassador to Turkey and special envoy for Syria, Thomas Barrack, is also in Qatar.
The meeting between Rubio and Netanyahu lasted about an hour and a half on a bilateral basis before expanding with advisers from both sides. Rubio had previously indicated that he would consult with Netanyahu about Israeli military plans to seize Gaza City, the largest urban center in the devastated territory, as well as Israeli government talks about annexing parts of the occupied West Bank in hopes of preventing a Palestinian state.
The meeting comes at a time of diplomatic tension, with a UN summit scheduled to discuss statehood for Palestine, an initiative Netanyahu openly rejects. Rubio had previously stated that Trump wants the Gaza war to “end” for good, which would mean freeing the hostages and ensuring that Hamas “is no longer a threat.”
Netanyahu also addressed the demolished buildings in Gaza, claiming they are Hamas strongholds, and called on the world to be “clear about its priorities and facts” regarding the situation in the Palestinian enclave.
