US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Israeli PM Netanyahu hold talks amid Gaza crisis

Tel Aviv [Israel], September 15 (ANI): United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held extended talks on Monday as regional leaders convened in Doha to condemn last week's unprecedented Israeli attack on Qatar. Netanyahu reaffirmed that Israel takes "full responsibility" for the strike and the ongoing war in Gaza, Al Jazeera reported.

The two leaders met for three hours at Netanyahu's West Jerusalem office and later addressed the media in a joint news conference.

Netanyahu said, "Rubio's visit is a clear message that America stands with Israel in face of terror." He added that Israel and the US will continue to act together to protect both nations.

Rubio echoed Israel's stance on the conflict, stating, "Hamas needs to cease to exist as an armed element that can threaten peace and security in the region," Al Jazeera reported.

The visit comes a day after the officials, along with US envoy Mike Huckabee, visited the Western Wall and highlighted the strong bilateral relations between the two countries.

The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) announced it will hold an urgent debate on Tuesday concerning Israel's "recent military aggression" in Qatar.

The council received formal requests for the discussion from Pakistan on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and Kuwait on behalf of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Al Jazeera reported.

This will be the 10th urgent debate since the council's inception in 2006.

Israel has consistently rejected UNHRC findings and resolutions regarding its actions, including a resolution last year urging states to halt arms sales to Israel amid the Gaza crisis. Both Israel and the US boycotted the council earlier this year.

Meanwhile, the humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate. Al Jazeera reported that four fetuses and three premature babies died on Monday at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis due to the siege and manmade starvation.

Gaza's Health Ministry stated that at least 422 people, including 145 children, have died from the ongoing hunger crisis. Since the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) declared famine in parts of Gaza last month, 144 deaths, including 30 children, have been recorded.

Israeli airstrikes continue to hit Gaza City and surrounding residential areas, killing dozens more Palestinians. Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said on Monday he plans to construct a luxurious seashore neighbourhood with high-rise buildings for Israeli police officers over the ruins of Gaza. "We will finish the mission, occupy Gaza, encourage voluntary emigration," he stated, according to Israeli media.

Families of Israeli captives held in Gaza requested an urgent meeting with army chief Eyal Zamir after he revealed that Netanyahu has kept the military in the dark regarding next steps following the seizure of Gaza City. Zamir also said occupying the area would not compel Hamas to surrender politically or militarily.

Amid Israel's plans to annex parts of the occupied West Bank, UK-based Oxfam International, along with 80 civil society organisations, launched a "Stop Trade With Settlements" campaign on Monday.

The campaign calls on countries to prohibit all trade with illegal Israeli settlements, including business by major multinational firms like Maersk, Siemens, and Barclays.

The organisations said the initiative targets settlement trade due to "Israel's ongoing and escalating oppression of Palestinians in the West Bank (including East Jerusalem), fragmentation of its economy, and undermining of the viability of a future Palestinian state," Al Jazeera reported.

Rubio is also expected to attend the inauguration of a controversial tunnel project for religious tourists beneath the Palestinian neighbourhood of Silwan.

The project has raised concerns among Palestinian residents that it could further reduce their presence and endanger the structural integrity of their homes. (ANI)

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