Gaza City saw severe Israeli attacks as Marco Rubio, the United States Secretary of State, arrived on Sunday. Palestinian officials reported that Israeli forces demolished at least 30 residential buildings. These attacks forced thousands of people from their homes. Rubio’s trip aimed to discuss what comes next for the conflict and how to rebuild the Gaza Strip.
Israel plans to take over Gaza City. Around one million Palestinians live there. The stated goal is to completely remove Hamas. Israeli forces have increased attacks on what they call Hamas’s “last strongholds.”
Rubio’s visit happened during a tense time. Israel carried out an airstrike against a Hamas political leader in Doha last Tuesday. This attack caused widespread anger and criticism from around the world. Qatar will host an urgent meeting of Arab and Islamic leaders this Monday to decide their next steps.
Before meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Rubio visited the Western Wall in Jerusalem. The U.S. State Department said this visit “reaffirms U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as the eternal capital of Israel.” This aligns with former President Donald Trump’s past policy. He recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and moved the U.S. embassy there in 2017.
Meanwhile, the humanitarian situation in Gaza is getting much worse. Philippe Lazzarini, who leads UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, shared grim news. Clinics in a northern refugee camp have stopped working. Also, ten UNRWA buildings in Gaza City were hit by attacks over the past four days.
Some U.S. officials are worried. They see the attack on Hamas in Qatar as “a unilateral escalation.” They believe it will not help either the U.S. or Israel. The United Arab Emirates also warned about Israel’s plans to expand settlements in the West Bank. They said this would damage the “Abraham Accords.” The U.S. had helped broker these deals, which created diplomatic ties between the UAE and Israel.
Aid groups warn that Israel’s takeover of Gaza City would be a disaster. Many people there are already severely malnourished. The Gaza Health Ministry reported two more Palestinian deaths from lack of food and starvation in the last 24 hours. This brings the total deaths from these causes to at least 422, including 145 children.
Israel has allowed more aid into Gaza since late July. However, the United Nations still says it is not enough for everyone. Only tens of thousands of people have left Gaza City. Hundreds of thousands remain, mostly because there are not enough safe places in the south. Some also hope Arab leaders can pressure Israel to stop the planned attacks.