Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on May 15, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 23, 2026
Marco Rubio expressed US concerns about Gaza's humanitarian situation to Netanyahu, emphasizing the need for aid delivery and addressing Hamas's role.
By Humeyra Pamuk
ANTALYA, Turkey (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said after he spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday that Washington is troubled by the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
Rubio, speaking to reporters in Antalya, Turkey, said the U.S. was "not immune or in any way insensitive to the suffering of people in Gaza," where no humanitarian assistance has been delivered since March 2.
He repeated the Trump administration's stance that Hamas militants, who launched the October 2023 attacks that began the conflict, are to blame for the situation in Gaza.
"We think that the elimination of Hamas is what achieves peace. We're troubled by the humanitarian situation," Rubio said.
It was the first time Rubio has addressed the situation in Gaza since the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation announced it will start work in Gaza by the end of May under a heavily-criticized distribution plan.
He said he had heard criticism of the plan and that the U.S. was open to an alternative plan.
"It allows people to get aid without Hamas stealing it," Rubio said. "We'll continue to work towards that in ways that we think are constructive and productive."
(Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk; writing by Simon Lewis; editing by Deepa Babington)
The main topic is the US's concerns about the humanitarian situation in Gaza and discussions between Marco Rubio and Benjamin Netanyahu.
Rubio mentioned the US is open to alternative plans that prevent aid from being stolen by Hamas.
The US blames Hamas militants for the ongoing conflict and humanitarian issues in Gaza.
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