JERUSALEM: Israel conducted heavy bombardment across Gaza City on Tuesday following US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s public endorsement of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s military offensive.
Rubio expressed full alignment with Netanyahu during his Monday visit to Jerusalem, assuring Israel of America’s unwavering support for its military operations in the Palestinian territory.
Witnesses reported intense and continuous bombing in Gaza City that destroyed homes and trapped people under debris shortly after Rubio’s statements.
Resident Ahmed Ghazal described hearing the screams of those trapped beneath collapsed buildings during the bombardment.
Rubio’s visit occurred despite recent criticism from US President Donald Trump regarding Israeli air strikes on Hamas leaders in Qatar.
The Secretary of State dismissed Qatar-mediated ceasefire negotiations and characterised Hamas as barbaric animals following their October 2023 attack on Israel.
Rubio will travel to Qatar on Tuesday to reassure the emirate, which hosts the largest US air base in the region and has actively engaged with the Trump administration.
Trump separately confirmed that Netanyahu would not conduct further strikes in Qatar following their discussions.
Israel’s new military campaign focuses on capturing Gaza City, where the United Nations reported one million people faced famine conditions last month.
Gaza civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal confirmed ongoing heavy bombing across Gaza City with rising casualties on Tuesday.
Israeli forces also targeted Khan Yunis in southern Gaza, where strikes killed 49 people on Monday according to civil defence reports.
Media restrictions and access difficulties in Gaza prevent independent verification of casualty figures from either the civil defence agency or Israeli military.
Rubio’s visit precedes a UN summit where France and other US allies plan to recognise Palestinian statehood due to frustrations with Israeli positions.
The Secretary of State dismissed statehood recognition as largely symbolic while Netanyahu threatened unspecified unilateral responses.
Far-right Israeli cabinet members have called for West Bank annexation to prevent Palestinian statehood, provoking protests from the United Arab Emirates.
Netanyahu described Rubio’s visit as a clear message of US support and called Trump Israel’s greatest friend ever.
Rubio stated that Gaza’s population deserves a better future but emphasised that Hamas must first be eliminated.
Hamas’s October 2023 attack killed 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to AFP’s tally of official Israeli figures.
Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed more than 64,900 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to UN-verified health ministry data.
Rubio met privately with families of hostages taken during the October attack, of whom 47 remain in Gaza including 25 declared dead by Israel.
The Secretary of State attended the inauguration of a religious tourist tunnel underneath Silwan’s Palestinian neighbourhood late Monday.
Silwan community spokesman Fakhri Abu Diab criticised Rubio for not witnessing Israeli home demolitions that Palestinians consider ethnic erasure.
Abu Diab accused the United States of aligning with extremists and ignoring Palestinian history instead of supporting international law.
Rubio began his visit at the Western Wall in annexed east Jerusalem with Netanyahu, calling Jerusalem Israel’s eternal capital.
US leaders historically avoided such explicit endorsements of Israeli sovereignty over contested Jerusalem until Trump’s presidency. – AFP
