Rubio Sets Off For Israel, Says Ties With Jerusalem ‘Unshaken’

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio traveled to Israel on Saturday, just days after an Israeli airstrike on Hamas operatives in Doha unsettled regional diplomacy. The trip comes amid questions about Washington’s next steps as it tries to steer both a ceasefire effort and hostage talks.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s office said Rubio will join him at the Kosel on Sunday. No formal bilateral meeting between the two leaders has been announced.

Speaking to reporters before boarding his plane in Maryland, Rubio said the Biden administration was displeased with the operation but would not let it jeopardize the US-Israel partnership. “What’s happened has happened. Obviously, we were not happy about it, the president was not happy about it,” he remarked. “It’s not going to change the nature of our relationship with the Israelis, but we are going to have to talk about it.”

The strike on Hamas figures meeting in Qatar Israel’s first attack on that ally, rattled mediation efforts aimed at ending the Gaza fighting. “We need to move forward and figure out what comes next, because at the end of the day, when all is said and done, there is still a group called Hamas, which is an evil group,” Rubio said.

Rubio added that his conversations in Yerushalayim will focus on Israel’s outlook for Gaza’s future. “We’re going to talk about what the future holds, and I’m going to get a much better understanding of what their plans are moving forward,” he explained.

He noted that President Donald Trump expects quick results on several fronts. “Trump wants Hamas defeated, he wants the war to end, he wants all 48 hostages home, including those that are deceased, and he wants it all at once,” Rubio said, adding that they would weigh how the strike in Doha may complicate that timetable.

The fallout dominated meetings between Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Rubio in New York and Washington late last week. A source familiar with those talks told the Times of Israel they reviewed Qatar’s mediation role and security ties following the incident.

According to the State Department, Rubio’s Israel stop will also reaffirm America’s security commitment while covering “operational goals and objectives.”

Axios reported that annexation of parts of Yehudah and Shomron will feature in Rubio’s talks. Israeli sources said he has privately signaled no opposition and that the Trump administration is unlikely to block such moves, though US officials worry they could undermine the Abraham Accords and damage Trump’s record.

Rubio warned nations weighing recognition of Palestinian statehood at the UN that Israel might answer with “reciprocal” annexation in Yehudah and Shomron.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu seemed to suggest that Hamas’ senior figures survived the Doha bombing. “The Hamas terrorists cheifs [sic] living in Qatar don’t care about the people in Gaza,” he posted. “They blocked all ceasefire attempts… Getting rid of them would rid the main obstacle to releasing all our hostages and ending the war.”

Israeli intelligence sources now doubt the strike killed any of the group’s top brass. Reports said some security chiefs argued against the timing, while the Mossad reportedly declined to execute an accompanying ground raid, citing risks to hostage negotiations and its Qatar ties.

Hamas later named the casualties as aides and bodyguards, along with a Qatari security officer, but none of its senior leadership. Funerals for those killed were held Thursday in Doha, with the Qatari emir and Hamas officials in attendance.