Jerusalem: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Israel on Sunday as Israeli airstrikes intensified in northern Gaza, flattening another high-rise building and killing at least 12 Palestinians.
Ahead of the trip, Rubio said he would seek clarity from Israeli officials on their strategy in Gaza following last week’s Israeli strike on Hamas operatives in Qatar, which disrupted efforts to broker a ceasefire. His two-day visit also signals support for Israel, increasingly isolated on the international stage, as the United Nations prepares for what is expected to be a contentious debate on recognising a Palestinian state. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remains strongly opposed to Palestinian statehood.
Rubio’s visit proceeded despite US President Donald Trump expressing anger at Netanyahu over the unannounced strike in Doha. On Friday, Rubio and Trump met with Qatar’s prime minister to discuss the operation’s fallout, reflecting Washington’s attempt to balance relations with key Middle Eastern allies amid widespread international criticism.
The Doha strike appears to have ended negotiations for an Israel-Hamas ceasefire and the release of hostages ahead of the upcoming UN General Assembly, where the Gaza conflict is expected to dominate discussions.
On Sunday, at least 13 Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded in multiple Israeli strikes across Gaza, according to local hospitals. Targets included a vehicle near Shifa Hospital, a roundabout in Gaza City, and a tent in Deir al-Balah, where at least six members of a single family were killed. The family, originally from Beit Hanoun, had fled Gaza City last week after escaping previous attacks.
The Israeli military has not commented on the strikes. Meanwhile, in Gaza City, the Israeli military destroyed a high-rise residential building, the Kauther Tower in the Rimal neighbourhood, on Sunday morning, less than an hour after posting an evacuation order online. Residents reported the building was completely flattened, though there were no immediate casualty reports.
Abed Ismail, a Gaza resident, described the attacks as “genocidal measures” aimed at turning Gaza City into rubble and forcing population transfers, while Israel strongly denies these accusations.
Separately, the Gaza Health Ministry reported two Palestinian adults died from malnutrition-related causes in the last 24 hours, bringing the total malnutrition-related death toll to 277 since late June. Additionally, 145 children have died from malnutrition-related causes since the war began in October 2023.
The Gaza conflict began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, killing approximately 1,200 people—mostly civilians—and abducting 251, with 48 hostages still in Gaza, 20 of whom Israel believes are alive.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 64,803 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not specify how many were civilians or combatants. About half of the dead were women and children, while large sections of major cities have been destroyed and around 90% of some two million residents have been displaced.
With PTI inputs