Qatar strike not to affect US-Israel ties: Secretary of state

By Esra Tekin

ISTANBUL (AA) - US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday said that Israel's attack on Qatar targeting Hamas members will not cause any change in relations between Tel Aviv and Washington.

"Obviously, we were not happy about it; the president was not happy about it," Rubio told reporters before departing for Britain and Israel.

"It’s not going to change the nature of our relationship with the Israelis, but we are going to have to talk about it—primarily, what impact does this have" on diplomatic efforts to reach a truce in war-torn Gaza.

Israel targeted a residential compound on Tuesday that was housing Hamas leaders in Doha.

The attack killed five Hamas members and a Qatari security official, who were discussing a new deal proposed by the US to end the war in Gaza, where Israel has killed more than 64,000 people since October 2023.

Qatar, along with the US and Egypt, has been a mediator in negotiations to end the war.