US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s recent visit to Israel has come at a time when the Jewish nation is facing growing international isolation following its audacious airstrike on Qatar and an intensifying bombing campaign in Gaza.
Washington is walking a diplomatic tightrope, with its alliance with Israel facing fresh scrutiny, Qatar’s mediation efforts under threat, and the humanitarian toll in Gaza worsening.
Loyalty versus tension
Rubio’s trip to Jerusalem served multiple purposes: to demonstrate Washington’s continued support for Israel, to seek answers about the Doha attack, and to contain the diplomatic fallout.
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In his talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he conveyed President Donald Trump’s “unhappiness” that Israel had not given prior notice of the strike on Hamas leaders in Qatar.
Yet, Rubio reaffirmed that the alliance remained “very strong” and would not fundamentally change.
היום זכיתי להתפלל בכותל המערבי בירושלים יחד עם רעייתי שרה, מזכיר המדינה של ארצות הברית מרקו רוביו ורעייתו, ושגריר ארה״ב בישראל מייק האקבי ורעייתו.
— Benjamin Netanyahu - בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) September 14, 2025
נשאנו תפילה לשלום החטופים ותפילה מיוחדת לכבוד נשיא ארה״ב דונלד טראמפ – ידיד אמת של העם היהודי ושל מדינת ישראל.
הביקור הזה הוא עדות… pic.twitter.com/49qOAwSCOU
Netanyahu, seeking to project unity, compared the relationship to the “stones in the Western Wall” during a symbolic joint visit to the holy site. However, beneath the rhetoric, tensions between the two governments were evident.
Hostages, Hamas, and the Gaza campaign
Rubio also held discussions on Israel’s military objectives in Gaza and met families of hostages, whose release remains a priority for Trump.
The visit coincided with a contentious UN General Assembly session (September 9-23) where recognition of a Palestinian state and the potential Israeli annexation of West Bank territories are dominating debates.
Israeli media reports added further intrigue, suggesting that Mossad chief David Barnea had opposed the Qatar strike, fearing it would jeopardise both hostage negotiations and ceasefire talks.
Qatar strike aftermath
Qatar’s reaction to the September 9 strike—which killed five Hamas members and a Qatari security officer—was uncompromising. Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani denounced the attack as “barbaric", “cowardly", and “a flagrant violation of international law".
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He described it as “state terrorism” and, more significantly, as “an attack on the principle of mediation itself". Qatar, despite the breach, vowed to continue working with Egypt and the United States to pursue a ceasefire.
The incident has altered the regional mood dramatically. An emergency summit of Arab and Islamic leaders in Doha produced a resolution condemning Israel’s actions as “genocide, ethnic cleansing, starvation, siege and colonising activities".
United Arab Emirates' PM Sheikh Mohammed urged the international community to end double standards and hold Israel accountable, while Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit called the strike evidence of “war crimes".
Netanyahu remains defiant
Netanyahu, however, insisted the operation was justified, claiming it targeted senior Hamas figures responsible for both the October 2023 attacks and for blocking ceasefire efforts. However, his stance was undercut by Israel’s Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which accused him of sabotaging negotiations whenever a deal appeared close.
Meanwhile, Israel’s offensive in Gaza has intensified, with Gaza City at the centre of operations.
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On the day of Rubio’s visit, Israeli forces killed 53 Palestinians (including 35 in Gaza City) and levelled 16 buildings—among them three residential towers. The Al Kawthar tower in the Remal neighbourhood was among those destroyed.
Gaza’s Government Media Office condemned what it called a “systematic bombing” campaign against civilian infrastructure, from schools and mosques to hospitals and homes, aimed at “extermination and forced displacement".
UNRWA reported that 10 of its facilities, including schools and clinics sheltering thousands, had been struck within four days. Tens of thousands of Palestinians have fled south towards Al Mawasi: an area designated a “safe zone”, but repeatedly bombed.
A worsening Gaza
Families describe dire conditions with little food, water, or shelter. UNICEF warned that “nowhere in Gaza is safe", highlighting overcrowding and disease risks in the makeshift camps.
The humanitarian crisis has deepened into catastrophe.
On August 22, famine was formally declared in Gaza City. The Ministry of Health says 422 people have died of hunger since the war began, including 145 children.
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Israel disputes these figures and points to efforts to expand aid deliveries, but humanitarian organisations insist supplies remain wholly inadequate. Many convoys are looted before reaching the most desperate. Even Israel’s own military lawyers urged delaying evacuations from Gaza City until sufficient facilities were available in the south, but their advice was ignored.
The overall toll is staggering: at least 64,871 Palestinians killed and more than 164,000 injured since October 2023. Israel says some 20,000 of its soldiers have been wounded, with more than half suffering psychological trauma.
Rubio’s mission underlined the precarious balance Washington is trying to strike. While the United States seeks to reaffirm its alliance with Israel, the Doha strike has severely undermined mediation efforts and alienated a key Gulf partner.
