A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is in Jerusalem today, holding talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nearly one week after Israel struck Doha, the capital of Qatar, in an attack targeting senior Hamas leaders.
MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
The attack killed at least six people, none of whom was a senior Hamas leader, and has put the U.S. in a difficult position between its strong support of Israel and a key ally in the Gulf. President Trump appeared to address that balancing act in comments yesterday with a warning to Israel.
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PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Qatar has been a very great ally. So, Israel and everybody else, we have to be careful. When we attack people, we have to be careful.
MARTÍNEZ: Rubio's visit also comes as Israel has intensified its offensive into Gaza City and is gearing up to occupy it. Joining us now is NPR's Carrie Kahn from Tel Aviv. Carrie, Secretary of State Rubio arrived in Israel Sunday. What is he telling the Israelis?
CARRIE KAHN, BYLINE: He and Prime Minister Netanyahu met this morning, and then they held a news conference. Both reiterated the strong alliance between the U.S. and Israel, and both repeatedly stated that the end of the war would require Hamas' total defeat and elimination and the return of all the hostages dead and alive. Here's Secretary of State Rubio.
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MARCO RUBIO: As much as we may wish that there would be a sort of a peaceful, diplomatic way to end it, and we'll continue to explore and be dedicated to it, we all have to be prepared for the possibility that that's not going to happen.
KAHN: Rubio was asked a few times if that meant that the U.S. was approving of Israel's current offensive to occupy all of Gaza City and displace the nearly million residents there. He did not address that. Both men were asked about the Israeli strike on Qatar, and Netanyahu was defiant and said he would not rule out future strikes. He said Israel will hit, quote, "terrorists wherever they are."
MARTÍNEZ: OK. So what is Qatar saying about the attack and maybe any possible retaliation against Israel?
KAHN: In Doha today, Qatar has convened an emergency regional summit of Arab and Muslim heads of states to discuss a response, which it says must be strong and decisive of that attack. In remarks yesterday ahead of the meeting, Qatar's prime minister called on the international community to, quote, "abandon double standards and punish Israel for its crimes." He also added that Qatar's efforts to mediate an end to the war in Gaza will continue, but it cannot host Israeli negotiators if it's being hit by Israeli warplanes. And NPR obtained a draft copy of the summit's final statement, which, as of now, does not include concrete measures against Israel.
MARTÍNEZ: OK. Now, you mentioned Gaza. What's the situation there now, considering that Israel is moving ahead with plans to take over Gaza City?
KAHN: The weekend has been deadly. According to health and hospital officials in Gaza, more than 70 people were killed by Israeli airstrikes and attacks. Yesterday, just in Gaza City alone, 35 people were killed. Evacuation orders for the city continue with the military telling people to get out and move south to what they say are either humanitarian zones or empty spaces with water and services available. The problem with that is, first, people don't have money or transportation to move out. And zones in the South are already severely overcrowded without enough basic services, according to U.N. agencies. Most of those sites, too, have been attacked by Israel. Air strikes in Gaza City are intensifying, and Israel has been leveling tall buildings throughout the city, about a dozen in little more than a week. Israel says Hamas uses the high rises but has yet to provide evidence of that.
MARTÍNEZ: That's NPR's Carrie Kahn in Tel Aviv. Carrie, thanks for the update.
KAHN: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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