Rubio speaks to Israel's Netanyahu

16/5/2025 6:12

U.S. Secretary of

State Marco Rubio said after he spoke with Israeli Prime

Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday that Washington is

troubled by the humanitarian situation in Gaza.



Rubio, speaking to reporters in Antalya, Turkey, said the

U.S. was "not immune or in any way insensitive to the suffering

of people in Gaza," where no humanitarian assistance has been

delivered since March 2.



He repeated the Trump administration's stance that Hamas

militants, who launched the October 2023 attacks that began the

conflict, are to blame for the situation in Gaza.



"We think that the elimination of Hamas is what achieves

peace. We're troubled by the humanitarian situation," Rubio

said.



It was the first time Rubio has addressed the situation

in Gaza since the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation

announced it will start work in Gaza by the end of May under a



heavily-criticized distribution plan



.



He said he had heard criticism of the plan and that the

U.S. was open to an alternative plan.



"It allows people to get aid without Hamas stealing it,"

Rubio said. "We'll continue to work towards that in ways that we

think are constructive and productive."