Rubio urges Qatar to keep helping with Gaza as Israel batters enclave

By Simon Lewis and Nidal al-Mughrabi

JERUSALEM/CAIRO (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday called on Qatar to continue to play a constructive role in resolving the Gaza conflict, speaking in Jerusalem on the same day that Arab leaders were meeting in Doha to respond to an Israeli strike.

Qatar, a U.S. ally which has been co-mediating talks between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, was angered last week by Israel's attack on its capital, which targeted Hamas leaders who reside there.

Speaking alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his office in Jerusalem, Rubio said Qatar could help reach the goals of releasing all 48 hostages still held in Gaza, disarming Hamas and building a better future for Gazans.

"And so we're going to continue to encourage Qatar to play a constructive role in that regard," he said.

Netanyahu, who has not backed down an inch since the Doha strike drew widespread condemnation, said he did not rule out further strikes on Hamas leaders "wherever they are".

ISRAELI MILITARY CONTINUES ASSAULT ON GAZA

While diplomacy was unfolding in Jerusalem and Doha, Israeli forces were continuing their assault on Gaza City, where they killed at least 16 Palestinians in strikes on two homes and on a tent housing a displaced family, local health authorities said.

The army also hit and destroyed a 16-floor building in the west of the city, believed to be the tallest in the Gaza Strip, about an hour after warning displaced families sheltering inside and nearby to leave. It said the building was being used to hide "terrorist infrastructure."

Rubio gave strong backing to Israel, which has grown increasingly isolated on the world stage because of widespread indignation at the enormous death toll in Gaza and the ongoing humanitarian and hunger crisis in the Palestinian enclave.

President Donald Trump has said he wanted the war in Gaza to end soon and all the hostages to be released, but Washington has not taken any steps to oppose Netanyahu's plan to keep fighting to take full control of the territory and eliminate Hamas.

"As much as we may wish that there be a peaceful, diplomatic way to end it, and we'll continue to explore and be dedicated to it, we also have to be prepared for the possibility that's not going to happen," said Rubio, calling Hamas "savage terrorists".

"Hamas needs to cease to exist as an armed element that can threaten the peace and security of the region," he said.

NEW DEATHS FROM HUNGER IN GAZA

Israeli strikes from the air and the ground on several areas of Gaza City spread panic and prompted thousands to flee encampments set up in streets and open areas, witnesses said.

Israel says the offensive to take control of the city is part of a plan to defeat Hamas for good, and that it has warned civilians to head south to a designated humanitarian zone.

However, the U.N. and numerous countries say its tactics amount to forced mass displacement and that conditions in the humanitarian zone are dire, with food in short supply.

"Do you know what is displacement? It is extracting the soul from your body, it is humiliation and another form of death," said Ghada, 50, a mother of five from Sabra neighbourhood in Gaza City who was refusing to leave.

"They tell us to go south, and when we do, there is no guarantee they won't bomb us there, so why bother?" she said via a chat app.

Three more Palestinians have died of malnutrition and starvation in Gaza in the past 24 hours, the territory's health ministry said on Monday, raising deaths from such causes to at least 425 people, including 145 children, since the war started.

Israeli forces have been operating in at least four eastern suburbs for weeks, of which three have been largely razed. They are advancing on the centre and appear poised to move towards the west, where most of the displaced are sheltering.

According to Hamas, at least 350,000 people have fled their homes, while 1,600 residential buildings and 13,000 tents have been destroyed, since August 11, the day after Netanyahu announced plans to take control of Gaza City.

It was not possible to verify the figures independently. Images circulating on social media suggested that the flow of people moving southwards had accelerated.

DOHA SUMMIT TO WARN ISRAELI STRIKE THREATENS TIES

In Doha, leaders were set to warn that Israel's attack in Qatar threatened coexistence and efforts to normalise ties in the region, according to a draft resolution seen by Reuters.

At least one ordinary Palestinian was dismissive.

"We have never placed much hope in Arab leaders and their summits," said Ahmed Nemer, 45, from Gaza City.

"The final statement is written by the Americans or is vetted by the Americans, so what can we expect?"

Israel's nearly two-year-long campaign against Hamas has killed more than 64,000 people in Gaza, according to local authorities. It was prompted by the militant group's attack on Israel in October 2023, in which 1,200 people were killed and 251 others taken hostage, according to Israeli figures.

(Reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi in Cairo and Simon Lewis and Steven Scheer in Jerusalem; Writing by Estelle Shirbon; Editing by Kevin Liffey and Ros Russell)