Tel Aviv, Sept. 14 -- US Secretary of State Marco Rubio landed in Israel on Sunday for an official visit, less than a week after Israeli forces struck Hamas leaders in Doha, Qatar. The visit coincides with intensified Israeli operations in the Gaza Strip.

The Israel Defence Forces said on Sunday that among the terrorists eliminated in recent operations was Yousef Mahmoud Muhammad Jumaa, a Hamas cell commander involved in the massacre of 22 people at Kibbutz Alumim during October 7, 2023. The IDF said Jumaa was also responsible for planning and carrying out multiple attacks on other Israeli targets during the war.

Speaking before his departure from Washington, Rubio stressed that the US disapproved of Israel's strike in Qatar but insiste...