Marco Rubio, in Israel, says a diplomatic solution to Gaza war may not be possible

Secretary of State Marco Rubio cast doubt on the chances of negotiating the surrender of the Palestinian militant group Hamas, saying on Monday during a visit to Israel that a diplomatic deal to end the war in the Gaza Strip might not be possible.

Rubio spoke at a news conference alongside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel after the two men met for several hours. His comments struck a more pessimistic tone than President Donald Trump, who earlier this month had said that a deal to stop the fighting in Gaza and free hostages there could come "very soon."

While making clear that the United States would still pursue a peace settlement, Rubio said Hamas is "a terrorist group, a barbaric group, whose stated mission is the destruction of the Jewish state. So we're not counting on that happening."

His remarks were in harmony with those of Netanyahu, who reiterated that Israel "must make sure Hamas is eliminated." He later said he would prefer a Hamas "surrender" to continued fighting if possible.

Despite tensions between Netanyahu and Trump about the Gaza war and Israel's recent strike against Hamas leaders in the Gulf nation of Qatar, Rubio and the Israeli premier presented a unified front.

"It's obvious that Israel has no better ally than America," Netanyahu said. "The American-Israeli alliance has never been as strong as it is now."

The Israeli leader also paid tribute to Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist who was assassinated in Utah last week, calling him a "tremendous, tremendous friend of Israel."

Trump is impatient for an end to the Gaza war and has promised for months to broker a ceasefire that would stop the fighting and free the hostages still held in the enclave. But his diplomacy has come up short, and Israel is now preparing a major military offensive in Gaza City, which is likely to prolong the fighting for months.

There were growing signs that a ground invasion of Gaza City could begin soon. On Sunday, the Israeli military intensified airstrikes on the city and attacked four more high-rise buildings that it said were being used by Hamas.

Trump has also publicly rebuked Netanyahu for launching an airstrike last week against Hamas leaders in Qatar, a U.S. ally in the Gulf and a mediator in talks to end the Gaza war. The U.S. president said the strike would make it harder to reach a peace deal.

Before leaving Washington on Saturday, Rubio told reporters he intended to press Netanyahu on the strike's ramifications for peace negotiations. But on Monday, he chose not to linger publicly on the subject.

"We are focused on what happens now. What happens next?" Rubio said at the news conference.

Rubio, who also serves as national security adviser, had declined to say on Saturday whether Trump supported the planned offensive into densely populated Gaza City, where Israel says Hamas is regrouping. Israel has issued evacuation orders for the city and more than 300,000 Palestinians have fled in the past two weeks, according to the Israeli military.

Aid organizations have warned that the displacement of hundreds of thousands more people to already crowded areas of central and southern Gaza will exacerbate the severe humanitarian crisis in the enclave, where hunger is rampant.

"No place is safe in Gaza. No one is safe," Philippe Lazzarini, the commissioner-general of the U.N. agency that aids Palestinians, wrote on social media on Sunday as people fleeing Gaza City clogged the coastal road with traffic.

"More and more people are forced to leave, disoriented and uncertain, heading into the unknown," Lazzarini added.

Gaza's Civil Defense, the territory's rescue service, has reported dozens killed in Gaza City over the past two weeks, since Israel declared the large urban area a combat zone and began bombing in preparation for a full-scale ground assault.

Rubio, referring to the war, made clear that "the president wants this to be finished with" the release of hostages and the defeat or surrender of Hamas. Israel believes about 20 hostages are still alive.

Hamas has shown no willingness to lay down its arms. And Netanyahu, whom critics accuse of prolonging the war to extend his political career, shows no signs of compromising his demands for a total victory.

Netanyahu and his foreign minister, Gideon Saar, were also planning to meet a large bipartisan delegation of American legislators on Monday. Israel's Foreign Ministry said the group included 250 lawmakers representing all 50 US states.