JERUSALEM/UNITED NATIONS/DOHA - US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, on a visit to Israel on Monday, vowed Washington's "unwavering support" to Israel in its offensive in Gaza and called for Hamas' eradication.

"The people of Gaza deserve a better future, but that future cannot begin until Hamas is eliminated," Rubio told reporters at a press conference alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem.

"You can count on our unwavering support and commitment to see it come to fruition," he added.

Netanyahu hailed Rubio's visit as "a clear message" of Washington's support for Israel.

Rubio denounced moves by several Western governments to recognize a Palestinian state, saying such decisions were "largely symbolic" and only served to "embolden" Hamas. "They have really no impact whatsoever about bringing us any closer to a Palestinian state. The only impact they actually have is it makes Hamas feel more emboldened," he said.

Before the meeting, Rubio said the talks with Netanyahu would address Israel's "goals and objectives" for its military operation in Gaza.

Asked about Gulf anger over last Tuesday's Israeli air strike in Doha, which killed six people including a Qatari security officer, Rubio said: "We are focused on what happens next." The strike, aimed at a Hamas negotiation team involved in Gaza truce talks, apparently failed to hit its targets.

Rubio's visit came as Israel pressed on with its assault on Gaza City, carrying out strikes and bombing another high-rise building on Monday after destroying dozens in recent days, while the military prepared to further escalate the offensive with a larger-scale ground assault.

Israeli strikes killed at least 34 people over the past 24 hours, mainly in Gaza City, the Hamas-run Gaza health authorities said. That brought the total death toll from Israeli strikes and gunfire since October 2023 to 64,905, it said.

The authorities added that three more people had died from famine and malnutrition in the past day, raising the toll from hunger-related causes to 425, including 145 children. 

Netanyahu: Israel needs self-reliance

Netanyahu said on Monday that Israel is sliding into international isolation amid its nearly two-year offensive in the Gaza Strip, and will need to become self-reliant.

Speaking at an economic conference in Jerusalem, Netanyahu blamed anti-Israel discourse in the media and on social networks, saying: "Israel is entering a kind of isolation."

"We could find ourselves in a situation where we would be blocked in the industrial aspect, not just in research and development, but also in actual production," he said.

He said Israel needs to adapt to the new isolation and develop its own production capabilities, noting mainly the weapons industry. "We can find ourselves in a situation where our weapons industries would be blocked (for exports)," he said. "We will have to develop arms industries here. We will have to be Athens and super-Sparta."

"Israel's international situation is changing," he added, warning that it "threatens us with the beginnings of economic sanctions and problems importing weapons and weapon parts."

Opposition leader Yair Lapid denounced Netanyahu's remarks as "a crazy statement," saying the isolation is the result of "Netanyahu's and his government's failed and flawed policies."

Appalling impact 

The latest Israeli attacks in northern Gaza, reportedly killing or injuring dozens, are having "an appalling impact on civilians enduring suffering and starvation," a UN spokesman said on Monday.

"We condemn the deadly escalation of the Israeli military offensive, which we saw over the weekend across Gaza City," said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. "We reiterate our call for the protection of civilians and humanitarian personnel, and full respect for international law."

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said thousands of displaced people fled heavy strikes and bombardment across the city on heavily congested Al Rashid Road, the only route available to the south.

Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East said on Sunday that in the previous four days, 10 of the agency's Gaza City buildings were hit, including seven schools and two clinics used as shelters for thousands of the displaced.

He warned that as airstrikes in Gaza City and the broader northern Gaza intensify, exhausted and terrified civilians are displaced yet again.

OCHA said that partners monitoring the exodus reported nearly 70,000 people heading south, primarily to Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis. In the past month, they observed about 150,000 movements from north to south.

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Arab-Islamic summit 

An emergency Arab-Islamic summit held in Doha on Monday strongly condemned Israel's recent attack on Qatar and declared full solidarity with the Gulf state.

In its final communique, the summit, chaired by Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, described the Israeli strike on a residential area in Doha as a "flagrant act of aggression" that violated international law and posed a grave threat to regional and global peace.

Arab and Islamic leaders reaffirmed their absolute support for Qatar's sovereignty, security and stability, and backed all measures it may take in response to the attack. They stressed that targeting a neutral mediator undermined ongoing ceasefire talks on Gaza and broader peace efforts.

The statement also denounced Israel's "crimes of genocide, ethnic cleansing, starvation and siege, as well as settlement activities and expansionist policies," warning they jeopardize prospects for peace.

The leaders called for urgent international action to hold Israel accountable, including sanctions, halting arms supplies and reviewing diplomatic and economic ties with Israel.

The summit further urged the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to coordinate efforts to suspend Israel's UN membership, citing its persistent "violations" of international law and UN resolutions.

The communique reiterated support for Palestinian statehood based on 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, welcomed an upcoming international conference on the implementation of the two-state solution in New York, and praised Qatar's role in mediation, humanitarian aid and fostering Arab and Islamic unity.

Pro-Palestinian flotilla

TUNIS - A flotilla of 18 vessels carrying pro-Palestinian activists has left the Tunisian port of Bizerte in what organizers called the largest attempt yet to challenge Israel's naval blockade of Gaza, Tunisia's state news agency TAP reported on Monday.

In total, 22 multinational ships from the Global Sumud Flotilla were anchored in Bizerte, where they were welcomed by local residents, civil society groups, and Tunisian authorities. The Red Crescent provided medical support and supplies. A port official said four other vessels remained docked for repairs.

The first vessel to depart was the Spanish-flagged Marinat, which sailed on Saturday. The last to leave on Monday was the Algerian ship Sultana, carrying 12 passengers from Tunisia, Algeria, and South Africa, led by a Tunisian captain.