Netanyahu Says Killing Hamas Leaders Is the Path to Ending Gaza War

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that eliminating Hamas leaders is key to ending the Gaza war, while top US diplomat Marco Rubio maintained just hours before his visit to Israel that the country’s strike on Hamas figures in Qatar would not damage the alliance between the two nations.

“The Hamas terrorist chiefs living in Qatar don’t care about the people in Gaza. They blocked all ceasefire attempts in order to endlessly drag out the war,” Netanyahu wrote on X. “Getting rid of them would remove the main obstacle to releasing our hostages and ending the war.”

His remarks came shortly after Rubio told reporters that although President Donald Trump was “not happy” about the Qatar strike, it would not alter ties with 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 efforts to secure a truce in Gaza, he said.

Talk of a ceasefire — elusive after months of failed negotiations — comes as Israel has intensified its military campaign. In recent days, it has stepped up operations to seize control of Gaza City, the territory’s largest urban center, urging residents to evacuate while demolishing high-rise buildings it said were being used by Hamas.

Though thousands have fled, many more remain. As of late August, the UN estimated around one million people were still in Gaza City and nearby areas, where famine conditions have been declared due to Israeli aid restrictions.

Bakri Diab, a father of four who fled western Gaza City, said strikes continued in the south as well. “Bombing happens here too — the south isn’t safe either. All the occupation has done is force people to crowd into places with no basic services and no safety.”

Gaza’s civil defence agency reported that 32 people were killed by Israeli fire on Saturday. Media restrictions and limited access mean AFP could not independently verify those figures.

Despite mounting global criticism, Netanyahu’s government has remained defiant. On Friday, the UN General Assembly voted in support of reviving a two-state solution, challenging Israel’s opposition. Britain, France, and several other Western states are also preparing to formally recognise Palestinian statehood this month, frustrated by Israel’s actions in Gaza and the West Bank. London, Paris, and Berlin have also called for an immediate halt to Israel’s offensive in Gaza City.

Still, Israel retains the support of its most powerful ally, the United States. Ahead of Rubio’s trip, State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said he would reaffirm Washington’s “commitment to fight anti-Israel actions including unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state that rewards Hamas terrorism.” He added that Rubio would stress shared goals: preventing Hamas from ruling Gaza again and securing the release of hostages.

Domestically, Netanyahu faces growing criticism from families of Israeli hostages. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum accused him Saturday of being the “one obstacle” to their release, charging that he has repeatedly sabotaged ceasefire efforts. Of the 251 people abducted by militants in October 2023, 47 remain in Gaza — 25 of them confirmed dead by the military.

Brian Katulis, senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, argued that Rubio was unlikely to pressure Israel toward a truce. “There is an alarming passivity in actually getting to a ceasefire in Gaza,” he said, adding that the administration appears more attuned to its evangelical Christian base aligned with right-wing Israelis than to Arab states.

Rubio is scheduled to visit the Western Wall with Netanyahu on Sunday, according to the prime minister’s office.

The war began with Hamas’s October 2023 assault on Israel, which killed 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures. Israel’s retaliatory campaign has since killed at least 64,803 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to the territory’s health ministry.