• Secretary of state reiterates need for Hamas to release hostages, says it cannot continue to exist
• ‘We’re not immune or in any way insensitive to the suffering of the people of Gaza’

Arab News

LONDON: The US is “troubled” by the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has told the BBC.

The Palestinian enclave has been blocked from receiving food and other supplies by Israeli forces for the past 10 weeks. 

The blockade was imposed after Israel ended a ceasefire agreement that led to an exchange of hostages held by Hamas and prisoners held in Israeli jails.

Since then, Israel has conducted numerous strikes in Gaza, with an expanded second ground offensive expected in the coming weeks.

Rubio, who was in Turkiye at a meeting of NATO foreign ministers, told the BBC: “We’re not immune or in any way insensitive to the suffering of the people of Gaza, and I know that there’s opportunities here to provide aid for them.”

He said Hamas needs to release all remaining hostages, and there is no prospect of peace while the group continues to exist.

Rubio’s words come amid talk of a dispute between US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and after at least 114 Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes on Thursday, according to Gaza’s health authorities.